SMC Monthly Concert March 2025
Dear Music Rasikas,
SMC would like to invite you with family and friends to our Monthly Concert to be held on Saturday 29th March 2025 at the Grevillea Room, Wentworthville Community Centre, 2 Lane St, Wentworthville NSW 2145.
5 pm to 6 pm: Vocal concert by Chi. Devavrath Parasuram, accompanied by Chi. Ratan Venkatesan on the Violin and Chi. Ramana Paheerathan on the Mrudangam
6.10 pm to 7.40 pm: Vocal concert by Kum. Sri Rajan accompanied by Sri. Balaji Jannadhan on the Violin, Chi. Sayeesh Srinivasan on the Mrudangam and Sri. Nikhil Bharadwaj on the Kanjira.
Artiste Profiles:
Chi. Devavrath Parasuram
Devavrath commenced his vocal training under the tutelage of Shri Chowdappa Narayan and is now under the guidance of Shri Krishna Ramarathinam. He has also been guided by his Grand-uncle Shri T.M Chandrasekaran. Dev is currently the secretary of Sanmarga Arts. Dev is currently in his third year at the university of technology studying a Juris doctor.
Kum. Sri Rajan
Kum. Sri Rajan is a passionate musician who deeply values the Carnatic tradition. Taking after her grandmother, Smt Chellam Venugopalan, who was on AIR from the age of 12, Sri also takes inspiration from the legendary Sangeetha Kalanidhi, Padma Bhushan Sri Chembai Bhagavathar amongst many others.
Sri began her training under Smt. Uma Ayyar in Sydney a decade ago and now hones her skills from Sri Kalakkad Thyagarajan and Smt. Padma Shankar.
Born and raised in Australia, Sri’s musical interests extend to Western classical music, which she is equally enthusiastic about. A lyricist and composer, she blends creativity with her musical pursuits. Sri is a Bharatha Natyam dancer who is also trained in Kathak.
In addition to her artistic endeavours, Sri is an award-winning app designer. She holds qualifications in Psychology and IT and works for an international company.
Sri. Balaji Jagannadhan
Balaji Jagannadhan learnt vocal and instrumental Carnatic music from Bangalore Smt R. Thangammal, herself a disciple of Vidwan Sri R R Keshavamurthy. Balaji hails from the steel city of Jamshedpur, India, and is a frequent performer at Carnatic forums in Sydney and Brisbane. He is a enthusiast of both schools of music Carnatic and Hindustani. He has also contributed to the musical choreography for a few classical dance recitals.
Chi. Ratan Venkatesan
Ratan is a music enthusiast learning both violin and vocal. He learns violin from Sri. Kranthi Kiran Mudigonda and has learnt Carnatic Vocal under Smt. Shubha Harinath. Currently, he is a student of Sri. Krishna Ramarathinam. He is keen on developing his skills further, and regularly participates in events across Sydney. Ratan is an active member of Karpahavalli, and is involved in organising events promoting Carnatic music to Sydney’s youth. Ratan has completed a double degree in Materials Science and Chemical Engineering at UNSW and is at present working as a Quality Testing Engineer.
Sri. Sayeesh Srinivasan
Sayeesh is a Year-11 student from Sydney Technical High School. Sayeesh has been learning the art of mridangam since the age of nine, under the sterling guidance of Sri. Sivakumar Sethupathi. He has been performing in Sri Thyagaraja Aradhana, Sri Purandara Aradhana and the main Hindu temples around Sydney.
Sayeesh is also a student at Sydney Sanskrit School & School of Vedic Sciences (Aust) Inc and has been awarded Minister's Commendable Excellence in Student Achievement in 2021.
He also holds youth membership in Australian Red Cross, Amnesty International Australia and a trained first-aid responder at St John Ambulance Australia (NSW). Sayeesh frequently participates in all social and other community events being organised by local organisations.
Sri. Nikhil Bharadwaj
I'm Nikhil Bharadwaj, a Carnatic percussionist and disciple of Sri Chintalapalli Somashekar. My musical journey began at the age of 8, and I made my concert debut at just 11 years old.
Throughout my career, I've been honored with several awards and opportunities, including:
- Receiving the prestigious Karnataka Yuva Sangeeta Puraskar from the Government of Karnataka
- Performing at the revered Tyagaraja Aradhana in Tiruvayyaru
I've also had the privilege of sharing the stage with various esteemed musicians, collaborating on numerous concerts and exploring the rich rhythmic traditions of Carnatic music.