Chicago Tyagaraja Utsavam 2023 offered a platform to local talent and students to showcase their art through:
- Group performances by children and adult students along with their teachers
- Accompanied performances
- Performances by schools of students representing various composers.
Highlights of the Utsavam included musical concerts and lecture demonstrations that were well-received by our audience. Our first event was a melodious violin concert by Vidwan L. Ramakrishnan with Vijay Ganesh on the Mridangam, and B. Shree Sundar Kumar on the Kanjira. The CTU audience was further treated to a soul filling vocal concert by Vidwan Kunnakudi Balamuralikrishna who was ably supported by L. Ramakrishnan on the violin, Thanjavur Murugaboopati (Mridangam), and B. Shree Sundar Kumar (Kanjira). Both the artists presented a repertoire of well-curated collection of Tyagaraja songs that were an audible treat for the CTU audience listening in-person and online.
A unique program introduced this year at the Utsavam was a lecture series by Sriram Venkatakrishnan, Music Historian & Secretary of Madras Music Academy. Over a period of three days, Sriram continued to enthrall the audience with interesting depictions Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshithar, and Purandaradasa. Sriram gave us a sneak peek into the life of the great saint Tyagaraja, his disciples, and their lineage. He also presented interesting facets of Muthuswami Dikshithar, a composer par excellence whose music was inspired by his travels. The finale of Utsavam 2023 was a special lecture by Sriram on Purandara Dasa and the Vijayanagara Empire, presented by CTU in collaboration with the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago. The lecture offered rare insights into the life of Purandara Dasa and a fact based historic rendition of the glory days of the Vijayanagara empire.
Reliving CTU 2023 through these beautifully captured images : https://www.flickr.com/photos/chicagotyagarajautsavam
Highlights of the 2023 Utsavam available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@chicagotyagarajautsavam91/streams
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