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:

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

Juniors

Seniors

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:

To apply, we will need the following details:

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!

Priceless Prizes!

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.

  1. Your name, address, age and contact telephones (both residence and mobile)
  2. A brief write up on your musical or dance career including the years of your training and your guru/gurus.
  3. 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:

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:


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