The Cleveland Tyagaraja Festival 2024

[arasi]

Northern America is buzzing with concerts now in several cities. One of the main reasons for that is the annual Cleveland Tyagaraja Festival. Most of the musicians are here for the festival, and that is how they get a chance to give concerts in different states of the country before, after and during the festival. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been possible all these years for our CM musicians to perform for us in various states and in Canada too, for sure.

The festival is about to start! We haven't seen a thread about it so far. As for those who cannot make it to the biggest CM festival outside of India, but do want to listen to the concerts, I do hope the streaming is available this year also.

Those who are fortunate enough to spend a few days at the festival, please do share your experience with other rasikAs.
After all, it is a proud annual tradition here. Thanks

[rajeshnat]

arasi - Great post. Schedule with list of artists is here. Good luck to artists.Hope Meenakshi also captures the visual photos
https://www.aradhana.org/schedule.html

[arasi]

Rajesh,
Good of you to bring the schedule to us on time
The question now is: is there going to be a streaming of the festival this year? Let's have some information about that, please!
What would add color to the festival and bring it home to us visually is of course, the lovely pictures of Meenakshi. Hope she obliges, as she always does, bless her

[thanjavooran]

Arasiji,
Namaskarams. As You have mentioned the fortunate Rasikas if they can share their views will be immensely happy to go through, a nice pass time for seniors like me. For concerts in SIFA though more rasikas of Super Seniors are present enjoying the concerts no body takes interest in commenting their experience. Really I am little unhappy on that. Ok. Let us wait and see.
Thanjavooran,
10 04 2024.

[arasi]

Thanjavooran,
Greetings. Seniors like us look forward to hearing about concerts from those who attend them. I am sure
Sundara Rajan does too.

As 'young' Rajesh says, we do not get many reviews these days on the forum. We learn a lot from the scholarly rasikAs' reviews, no doubt. However, sharing our concert experience with others, whatever our level of knowledge about CM is something we have all liked to do and to read.

Even from the performers' point of view, they won't prefer singing solely to an expert committee! Also, an audience in any concert isn't that exclusive. A mixed bag of folks come to a concert, take the trouble to do so because they like to listen to good music. Children tag along sometimes, and at times become the most regular concert-goers, even performers! Also reviewers? 'Old' Rajesh in his years of stay here and in his appreciation of music and many reviews would recall well (unlike us seniors) that reviewers have come from all backgrounds and of all ages!

Well, back to Cleveland. Please keep your reviews, or even jottings coming!

[meenaakshi]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/xAJBH7kk4VGMFtWK8

Pics from the first 2 days.
Will add more pictures.

[Nick H]

Lovely, Meena

[arasi]

Simply lovely pictures--as always, Meenakshi
Familiar old faces and new ones, veterans and today's stars and those of the future there! Many more to come, of course.
Now, do I see Sunil kumar (khanjira) playing the tavil? Or, is he a look-alike?
Among the veterans, it's fun to see Nagai sporting with his two big time laya comrades!

No news yet about streaming. Kindly enquire and let us know. Won't you? nanRi.

[thanjavooran]

Meenakshi madam,
Excellent total coverage as usual. First lot. Many thanks. Expecting more. Reviews on concerts from expert rasikas are welcome.
Best wishes,
Thanjavooran,
11 04 2024

[Nick H]

do I see Sunil kumar (khanjira) playing the tavil?

I think so too.

A while back, I learned that he did play tavil before taking up kanjira.

edit: yes. See the schedule as per the link in the second post here

[shankarank]

Isn't Sunil the son of Tavil Vidvan Triplicane Sekar? I listened to father & son playing Karthik's ensemble @Vani Mahal, available on youtube.

[cienu]

As usual amazing pictures by Meenakshi who brings to all of us at rasikas.org a ringside view of the happenings at Cleveland. Looking forward to more.

[arasi]

Yes indeed, Cienu!
Hope she obliges--bringing us pictures often, amid all her busy time there at Cleveland.

Wish I had met you in Bengaluru as well--after a brief chat with you and Geetha after Aisharya and Saundarya's Parthasarathy Swami Sabha concert during the season. A pity, I got caught up with things

[arasi]

Well, while we have been waiting for more memorable pictures from Meenakshi, she has quietly added to the early ones a whole new bunch of them. Kudos to her! All encompassing pictures they are in that she has covered many events, musicians, organizers, youngsters and particularly, the pancharatna kritis rendering--the most important part of the ArAdhana. She brings the essence of the event by including every participant, especially the youngsters, who inspire us all most about the Cleveland Festival.

There are some other outstanding candid shots too.

However disappointed we are that there aren't other reports and reviews as yet about the festival, our super volunteer at the ArAdhana adds yet another feather to her cap in her capacity as a photographer of the festival over the years

[Sundara Rajan]

I happened to see a video of SuguNa VaradAchAri's concert in the You tube. Are other programs also available on the internet?

[ramamatya]

Except for the first two-three rows, halls, not packed, as usual.

[GVR2004]

Here are some concerts I came across today.

Smt S Sowmya
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLa9VUZfLyU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1sojtP0suI

Sri Bharat Sundar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl2Z0OI6vd0

Dr R Suryaprakash
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtCTi9c3xbw&t=1s

Heard that Sri Ravi Natarajan of icarnatic.org who normally covers the aradhana concerts live, could not be there this time and hence no live streaming.

[shankarank]

Except for the first two-three rows, halls, not packed, as usual.

For a day, all of them get to be a musician's musician

[Nick H]

I seem to remember seeing substantial groups of audience/community, both in audience and ancillary activities, in photos. Am I wrong? Or is it not getting the presence/support that it used to. That would be sad.

[kamalamba]

The ReetiGowla swarajati by RSP is a masterpiece.
It will stand the test of time as one of the gems in this ragam

[shankarank]

Pancharatnam session : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7MlmneuUmQ

[shankarank]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS82FU8GggE

Bharat Sundar:
tODI vaRNam

vArnama mukha - hamsadvani

Latangi - marivErE - for the concert uptick.

rItigaULa - dvaitamu sukama - impressive Alapana and returns by Sai Rakshith

Great tani rounds by Sumesh and Chandrasekara Sarma.

[shankarank]

Lots of people complaining on Audio quality on the published youtube recordings. It is easy to see that these are recordings by a member of the audience published on their private channels.

Hopefully even though live streaming was not there, a line-in recording was taken and hope, will be released by rAgAmAlika TV months down later on, as happened last year.

I would like comments if any by SrI Sundaram at the end to be included as well!

[rajeshnat]

The ReetiGowla swarajati by RSP is a masterpiece.
It will stand the test of time as one of the gems in this ragam

Absolutely , i wrote a post recollecting suryaprakash as a vaggeyakkara with adequate detailing on this reetigowlai swarajathi...

ShyamaSastri (Swarajathi in Bhairavi, Todi and YadukulakAmbodhi)
---->>>>>> Mayuram Vishwanatha Sastri and Tanjore Ponniah Pillai (their todi and bhairavi swarajati)
--------------->>>> Suryaprakash (swarajathi in Reetigowlai).

Check more details in
https://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopi ... 99#p359999

[rajeshnat]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/xAJBH7kk4VGMFtWK8

Pics from the first 2 days.
Will add more pictures.

@meenaakshi ,
Thank you for your upload of great pictures. Looks you could not attend the last week .

I was assuming the bulk of diaspora must be those who came to usa any where from 1980s to say late 1990s and their kids. But it looks lot of younger couples and more younger next gen are participating , cleveland is indeed growing year on year with newer fresh rasikas. Kudos to you and the entire organizing team of Cleveland Aradhana

I was browsing to see if 80th birthday of Shri V V Sundaram is coming soon- indeed it is during next year. Best wishes for the forth coming Cleveland 2025.