Entries under Announcements
2019 Competition Results
The results of the music and dance competitions have been announced. Congratulations to all the winners!
posted on April 21, 2019
Venue Change
REMINDER: All events on Saturday April 20 until 1:30pm will be held at theĀ Bert L. and Iris S. Wolstein Center on Prospect Avenue. Programs will resume at Waetjen Auditorium at 1:45pm
posted on April 20, 2019
Competition Registration open
Registration for the music and dance competitions is now open. Get your entries in before the deadline!
posted on January 24, 2019
Public Statement
The Aradhana Committee is committed to creating a safe and welcoming environment for everyone attending the Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival, based on our values of respect, support and inclusion. We support the MeToo movement in amplifying voices that previously did not receive the attention they should have, and recognize the need for change in our global society.
We have always followed and continue to evolve our policies around misconduct reported to us by members of the Festival community, whether they took place at the Festival or elsewhere. We will continue to do so and, and continue to encourage anyone who is affected to come forward.
In a recent personal Facebook post, Mr. V.V. Sundaram referenced incidents of misconduct that were reported first-hand to the Aradhana Committee. None of the reported incidents took place in Cleveland or at the Festival. However, when we heard these first-hand reports about misconduct by artists that occurred outside of the the festival, even though they took place far away from Cleveland, we suspended their participation at the festival to ensure the safety and well-being of all our participants.
In addition, we would like to share some highlights about our organization and the Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival:
- We are a registered public 501(c)(3) organization. As such, all of our resources are dedicated only to our stated goal of advancing Indian classical arts in North America. Our financials are filed annually with the IRS, and are available to anyone who is interested in understanding how our funding is used. The Committee makes no profits, and has no paid employees, and all organizational activities are planned and executed on a volunteer basis
- In light of heightened concerns, we revisited and updated our long-standing policies to clarify the procedure for reporting sexual misconduct to the Aradhana Committee. In addition, we encourage affected parties to report misconduct to relevant law enforcement authorities
- We have over the last several years, continued to increase the US-based talent that we showcase at the Festival, in addition to the full-time professional musicians from India, Canada, and elsewhere in the world. We believe that shared global interactions in a safe and welcoming atmosphere are the key to the continuing advancement of the art worldwide
Indian classical arts are part of our shared global culture, and it is our mission to bring the best of that to Cleveland — our city which has grown to become the home for these arts in the US. We look forward to continued dialogue with the broader community to advance Indian classical arts in North America.
posted on October 29, 2018
Competition Results
The results of the music competition are online. Congratulations to all the participants and winners alike!
posted on April 16, 2017
Fundraising effort
We need your support for our 40th year celebrations. Please contribute to our volunteer-initiated crowdfunding campaign for the Festival!posted on December 19, 2016
Results Announced
The results of the music competition have been posted. Congratulations to all the winners!
posted on March 27, 2016
Registration open
Registration for the music and dance competitions is open. Get your registration in before the deadline!
posted on January 11, 2016
Competition Results
The results of the 2015 Tuttle Memorial Music Competition are out. Congratulations to all the winners!
posted on April 9, 2015
Competition registration is open!
Registration for the music and dance competitions is now open. Get your entries in before the deadline!
posted on January 27, 2015
Chennai Music and Dance Festival
The Aradhana Committee plans to hold a 15 day music and dance series in Chennai, as part of the December season. Please check out the announcement for application details and deadlines.
posted on October 28, 2014
Finalists for Bharathanatyam Competition
Congratulations to all the finalists in the 2014 Bharathanatyam competition:
Subjuniors
- Ashwini Vytheswaran
- Aarthi Vijayakumar
- Shruti Chennamaraja
- Swathi Srinivasan
- Shivani Yerigeri
Juniors
- Sophia Salingaros
- Shruthipriya Ravi
- Neha Narayanan
- Mathangi Jaya Sridharan
- Harini Nilakantan
Seniors
- Yalini Rajakulasingam
- Sahana Ratneswaran
- Shobi Ruban
- Raghavi Shankar
- Aarthy Sundar
posted on April 26, 2014
Registration for competitions
Registration for both the dance and music competitions is now open!
posted on February 4, 2014
Carnatic Symphony 2014
After last year's success, we present again this time, Carnatic Symphony 2014. For details and registration, please visit Carnatic World.
posted on February 4, 2014
Competition results
The results of our music and dance competitions are out. Congratulations to all of the winners!posted on April 16, 2013
Online ticketing
You can now purchase tickets online for our programs! Just click the link next to each ticketed program in our schedule, and bring your receipt to the front desk.
posted on March 29, 2013
2013 Schedule
Our 2013 schedule has been released! Please check back often, as we will be updating it as we get closer to the Festival.
posted on February 18, 2013
Competition registration open!
Registration for our music and dance competitions is now open.
posted on January 16, 2013
Competition results
The results from the 2012 music and dance competitions are now available. Congratulations to all of the participants!
posted on April 19, 2012
2012 Competition Results
The results of the 2012 music competition have been posted. Congrats to the winners!
posted on April 10, 2012
Ravi Shankar program cancelled
The Aradhana Committee is sorry to announce the Pandit Ravi Shankar concert on April 6th has been cancelled.
Ravi Shankar has taken ill and cannot travel at this time. Our prayers and wishes are with him and his family and we hope he has a speedy recovery and can soon grace our festival with his presence.
If you have already bought tickets via Playhouse Square, they will be contacting you directly about your refund.
The new program for Friday evening, April 6th, is a Pandit Ravi Shankar tribute concert from 6:15–7:15 pm by the artists that the maestro himself selected, followed by a Jugalbandhi by the legends Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna and Dr. N. Ramani starting at 7:30 pm. The ticket price for this entire event is $40 and can be purchased at the venue. The venue has been moved to Waetjen Auditorium at Cleveland State University, where all the other festival performances are taking place.
We are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused and we look forward to seeing you all in Cleveland! We count on your support, so that we can continue to bring you the best in classical music and dance. For the most up-to-date schedule please visit our schedule page.
posted on April 2, 2012
Sangam: A North-South Unison
The Aradhana Committee is proud to present a special program featuring both Hindustani and Carnatic classical music legends.
The first part of the performance is a Carnatic jugalbandhi by Sangeetha Rathnakara Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna and Sangeetha Rathnakara Dr. N. Ramani.
The second half of the program will be a Hindustani classical concert by the world-renowned, Grammy Award winning Pandit Ravi Shankar in his first ever concert in Cleveland. This concert is very special as it is on the eve of the Pandit's 92nd birthday.
The program will be held in the State Theater at PlayhouseSquare. Tickets go on sale on March 1, and are available directly from PlayhouseSquare.
posted on February 29, 2012
Vellore Ramabhadran is no more
We are extremely sad to note the passing of Sangeetha Rathnakara Vellore Sri G. Ramabhadran. He was an extraordinary artist, a true gentleman, and a dear friend of the Festival. He will be missed.
posted on February 26, 2012
Competition Registration
Registration for the music and Bharathanatyam competitions is now open.
You can now pay your registration fees online for both competitions, by using your Amazon.com account.
posted on February 1, 2012
2012 Bharathanatyam Competition
We are excited to announce a new format for the 2012 Bharathanatyam competition. The competition is now an open contest, and will be split into two days, April 14–15.
The first day, April 14, will be the preliminary round which is open to all applicants. Applicants will perform live before a panel of judges. The judges will then select five finalists from each age category.
The finalists will perform at the Festival's finale on April 15, and the grand prize winners will be selected by a panel of judges composed of very senior dancers and dance teachers from India.
Registration for the competition will open on February 1.
For more details about the competition and grand prizes, please see our Bharathanatyam competition page.
posted on January 15, 2012
Sustaining Sampradaya 2012
Announcing two themed programs for Sustaining Sampradaya 2012.
posted on September 21, 2011
Chennai Music and Dance Festival
The Aradhana Committee plans to hold a 15-day music and dance festival in Chennai, India as part of the December season. It will be a series of music and dance programs featuring artists from North America, in the second half of December.
To be eligible to participate, you must:
- be 25 or below as of December 25, 2011
- have participated in the competition at Cleveland (music or dance), or in Sustaining Sampradaya, or any of our dance initiatives (workshop, the Ramayana project).
To apply, we will need the following details:
- Full name
- Age, as of December 25, 2011
- City, state where you live
- Whether you would like to participate in music, dance, or both
- A short write-up, detailing your training, as well as your competition and performance experience. Please highlight events that you participated in which were part of the Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival.
Please send in your application information as soon as possible, via email, to Gopi Sundaram (gopi@aradhana.org).
We will work with senior vidwans and vidushis to select the participants who will perform, and inform the applicants in a timely manner.
posted on September 21, 2011
Carnatic Music Idol: USA
Jaya TV and Maximum Media, in association with the Aradhana Committee, bring the most successful reality show for Carnatic music to the USA.
Announcing
Carnatic Music Idol: USA
This program is a way for North American children to showcase their talent, take part in a fun, relaxed and friendly competition while having the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be featured on an international television program. All talent levels are welcome and we want to give every participant a chance to perform and enjoy the event!
Participants will be divided into two categories by age: 5–14, and 15–25.
The preliminary contest will be open to young classical Carnatic musicians from North America. The dates and locations for the preliminary and final rounds are:
Dates | Geography | Sponsoring Organization |
---|---|---|
Sep 9, 10 | Atlanta, GA (covers all of South) |
CAMAGA |
Sep 11 | Chicago, IL (covers all of Midwest) |
iCarnatic |
Sep 16, 17 | New York / New Jersey (covers Eastern seaboard) |
Nadam Madhusudhan (+1-609-279-0633) Ramanathan (+1-732-422-6830) |
Sep 18 | San Jose, CA (covers West coast) |
Vaidyanathan (+1-408-300-0189) Shastha Foods |
Sep 24 | Final competition at San Jose, CA |
Take part in this great opportunity!
- This competition is entirely different than the Indian version of Carnatic Music Idol
- The spirit of this competition is to be fun for all participants
- Students of all levels are welcome; manodharmam performance is not required
- The goal is to showcase the North American Carnatic music scene, including teachers, organizers, and volunteers
- This event is a wonderful way for our families in India and abroad, as well as JayaTV's global audience, to see us and all that we do to keep our cultural traditions alive.
Priceless Prizes!
- All participants who qualify for further rounds get gift vouchers from popular audio companies.
- The winners from both categories receive the following:
- A chance to perform in the 2012 Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival, in a special slot.
- The opportunity to perform in Jaya TV's Margazhi Maha Utsavam in December 2011.
- The winner in the senior category also gets to release their own classical album, contracted by one of the leading audio companies.
The judges panel will comprise popular star Carnatic musicians, and the final will be a mega event in California with a large panel of leading musicians.
Application Process
Please look over the rules and regulations for the competition, and then get in touch with the regional organizer listed above to apply.
For further details, please contact V.V. Sundaram (vvs@aradhana.org).
posted on August 16, 2011
Webcast of the festival
The festival will be webcast live, by Ekutcheri, as well as iCarnatic this year. Check out their sites for details.
posted on April 7, 2011
Sustaining Sampradaya in Chennai
We are pleased to announce that the Sri Kanchi Mahaswami Trust, in association with the Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival, will be conducting a focused and intensive 4-week cultural immersion program in Chennai starting on Monday July 11, 2011. The program will feature workshops in Carnatic Music, Bharathanatyam and training in Yoga. In addition, there will be classes on slokas, pasurams and bhajans. Renowned musicians and natyacharyas will lead the workshops on music and dance.
The daily schedule is planned to be as follows:
7:00am - 8:00am | Training in Yoga |
8:00am - 9:00am | Breakfast |
9:00am - 12:00pm | Training in carnatic music or bharathanatyam |
12:00pm - 2:00pm | Lunch break |
2:00pm - 4:00pm | Training in music or dance |
4:00pm - 6:00pm | Snacks & break |
6:00pm - 8:00pm | Classes in Slokas, Pasurams, Bhajans or Lectures on Indian culture and heritage, Arthi at the attached Temple |
8:00pm - 9:00pm | Dinner |
On Saturday July 30th, a program of music and dance by the participants will be presented in a major auditorium in Chennai.
On August 1st, all the participants will be taken on a week-long heritage tour of South India covering important cultural centers like Thiruvaiyaru, Thiruvarur, Thanjavur etc. An air-conditioned Volvo bus will be chartered for the tour and en route accommodation will be in the local hotels.
The venue for the workshops will be Sri Kanchi Mahaswami Vidya Mandir, Rajakilapakkam, Tambaram (East), Chennai 600073, a newly built high school campus with excellent facilities resembling some of the best schools in the western world.
The Hindu Mission Hospital, Tambaram is about 15 minutes by car from the campus. A doctor will be available on call for any medical needs.
The total cost for this program is US$750 per participant. This covers all tuition, food and the cost of the heritage tour. For those who desire accommodation, a very modern, air-conditioned room with attached bathroom will be made available in the campus on a twin sharing basis for an additional cost of US$250.
Enrollment is limited as we desire to give a very focused and intensive training taking into account the overall competence of the participants. Although there is no age limit for this program, it is geared more towards young people growing up in north America. Both accomplishments to date as well as potential will guide the selection process.
If you are interested in participating in this program, please send your application with the following details.
- Your name, address, age and contact telephones (both residence and mobile)
- A brief write up on your musical or dance career including the years of your training and your guru/gurus.
- A 5 minute audio/video clipping of your performance. The audio should be in MP3 format and video in MPEG4 format. Although this is not mandatory, it could help us evaluate you better.
Please email the above information to gopi@aradhana.org. A non refundable application fee of US$50 made in favor of Aradhana Committee should be mailed to:
Aradhana Committee
4 Cranbury Brook Dr
Millstone Twp NJ 08535
USA
The final deadline for receipt of all application material is Monday, May 9, 2011. As the number of participants will be limited, we suggest that if interested, please send your completed application as early as possible. Early applications will be treated preferentially.
posted on February 16, 2011
Exciting New Grand Prizes
The Aradhana Committee is excited to announce NEW Grand Prizes for the 2011 Music and Dance Competitions at the 34th annual Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival.
Music Competition
For the 2011 Music Competition, the winner of the Concert Competition will, as in previous years, receive a grand prize of a thambura and a concert on the 2nd Saturday of the 2011 Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival. In addition, NEW for 2011, the winner will also receive TWO concerts under the banner of India's most prestigious sabhas during the 2011 December Music Season:
- The Music Academy in Chennai
- Shanmukhananda Sabha in Mumbai
- An award of $1,000 to help with travel expenses
Dance Competition
For the 2011 Bharathanatyam Competition, one grand prize winner will be chosen across all finalists. In addition to the prize in their category, the winner will also receive, for the 2011 Music and Dance season in Chennai:
- A performance under the banner of Sri Krishna Gana Sabha
- An award of $1,500 to help towards travel and performance costs
These exclusive performances for the winners are not sponsored by the Aradhana Committee or the Cleveland Festival. The winners will be featured as part of the 2011 December concert season at these prestigious sabhas, under their auspices. The Aradhana Committee is honored to be able to award these prizes on their behalf to our competition winners. This is a testament to the growing talent of the youth outside of India and the level of competition that we are proud to witness every year at the annual Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival.
Due to the exciting news, the dance competition application deadline has been extended to February 15, 2011.
For questions regarding the music competition, please contact Gopi Sundaram (gopi@aradhana.org), and for questions regarding the dance competition please contact Radhika Balasubramaniam (radhika@aradhana.org).
posted on January 31, 2011
2011 schedule now available
The schedule for the 2011 festival has been posted. The list of events is still tentative, and we will be updating it in the coming weeks. Please check back frequently for the latest updates.
posted on January 19, 2011
Sustaining Sampradaya 2011
The two themed programs for Sustaining Sampradaya 2011 have been announced.
posted on September 23, 2010
Ramayana — A New Initiative for 2011
We are proud to announce a new opportunity for the 2011 Cleveland Thyagaraja festival. Please see our page on the Ramayana project.
posted on June 10, 2010
Competition results
The results to the music competition and dance competition are now available.
posted on April 16, 2010
Schedule changes
The schedule of events has changed. We no longer have any events on Monday. Please have a look at the schedule for details.
posted on April 7, 2010
Competition Results
The results of the 2010 music competition are now available.
posted on April 5, 2010
Live webcast of the Aradhana
Portions of the Cleveland festival will be available to view live as a webcast. Programs to be broadcast will include highlights of the music competition, the Pancharathnam on Saturday, and the Sustaining Sampradaya Homage to GNB.
posted on March 27, 2010
Music Workshop
There will be a music workshop every day during the Aradhana. Instruction will be available for vocal, nadaswaram, violin, flute, mridangam, and other instruments.
Students are invited to participate in the workshop. For details, please see the workshop page.
posted on March 17, 2010
Registration closed
Registration for the music and harikatha competitions is now closed. Thanks for all the entries!
posted on March 16, 2010
Registration is Open
Registration for the music competition and for the individual participation are now open.
posted on February 2, 2010
Bharathanatyam Competition
Registration for the dance competition is now open »
posted on November 10, 2009
Sustaining Sampradaya results delayed
This year, we had an overwhelming response to the announcement of the Sustaining Sampradaya program. A record number of people applied to be included, both newcomers and repeat Sampradaya participants.
The senior vidvans who select participants for the program are in the process of interviewing a few of the candidates. Scheduling the interviews and co-ordinating availability across time-zones has led to a delay in selecting the final participants.
We now expect to make the announcement on Friday November 6.
We apologize for the delay and seek your understanding as we work as quickly as possible to complete this phase of the process.
posted on November 2, 2009
New Site Design
We just redesigned our web site. Let us know what you think!
posted on October 26, 2009