Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Virtual Mahotsavam / Week #5 - Carnatic vocal concert by Kum. Ajitha Balasubramanian on 08/01//20

In week #5 of the Virtual Mahotsavam series, ICAPS will feature the talented carnatic vocal artist Kum. Ajitha Balasubramanian.  Her concert will premiere live on ICAPS Richmond YouTube channel on Saturday, August 1st at 10 AM EST. 

You can learn more about the artist by watching her interview posted below.  Mark your calendar today to enjoy this concert.

Bio of Kum. Ajitha Balasubramanian



Ajitha Bala is an upcoming vocal artist from Northern Virginia, USA. Ajitha is pursuing her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience from the College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA.
Ajitha has been trained in vocal and veena by her mother, Villianur G Lalitha. Currently, she is receiving advanced training from Vidwan Maharajapuram Ramachandran, while continuing her tutelage with her mother. Ajitha has given concerts at various sabhas in Chennai during December Music Season for the past 4 years. She was a finalist in Carnatic Music Idol USA Junior.

Ajitha was blessed to receive a trophy for her outstanding performance at the hands of Dr. Balamurali Krishna in 2014 at the DC metro Junior competition.

In her free time, Ajitha enjoys writing and producing Western pop music.


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Follow us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel to enjoy the weekly ICAPS Virtual Mahotsavam series of concerts and dance performances by a versatile group of artists.

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Virtual Mahotsavam / Week #4 - Bharatanatyam dance by Kum. Madhavi Reddi on 7/25/20

In week #4 of the Virtual Mahotsavam series, ICAPS will be featuring the talented Bharatanatyam artist Kum. Madhavi Reddi.  Her dance performance will premiere live on ICAPS Richmond YouTube channel on Saturday, July 25th at 10 AM EST. 

Mark your calendar today to enjoy this program.


Bio of Madhavi Reddi



Madhavi Reddi received her training in Bharatanatyam under the tutelage of Smt. Padmarani Rasiah Cantu of the Fine Arts Society, Yogaville, VA starting at the age of 4. She has also received training from Sri VP and Smt Shanta Dhananjayan, both at the Natya Adyayana Gurukulam summer camps at Yogaville, VA as well as at Bharatakalanjali, Chennai. In 2010, Madhavi did her arangetram and has since been performing regularly both in the United States and in India. In addition to performing, she conducts lecture demonstrations at schools and community events. Madhavi is also a core dancer at Prakriti Dance, a Maryland based dance company directed by Kasi Aysola.


As both a multimedia artist and current PhD student at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, Madhavi uses her backgrounds in Bharatanatyam, music, filmmaking, photography, and media studies to create artistic and academic work that encourage dialogue about the profound role of art, media, and culture in our lives.



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Follow us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel to enjoy the weekly ICAPS Virtual Mahotsavam series of concerts and dance performances by a versatile group of artists.  

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Virtual Mahotsavam / Week #3 - Hindustani vocal concert by Sri. Vijay Rachakonda on 07/18/20

In week #3 of the Virtual Mahotsavam series, ICAPS will be featuring the talented, young vocalist Sri. Vijay Rachokonda from North Carolina.  His Hindustani vocal concert will premiere live on ICAPS Richmond YouTube channel on Saturday, July 18th at 10 AM EST. 

Mark your calendar today to tune in and enjoy this concert this weekend.

Bio of Sri. Vijay Rachakonda



Vijay Rachakonda is a recent college graduate from UNC Chapel Hill with a major in Computer Science. His music journey started at the age of 4 with Carnatic Vocal Music. He started training under Smt. Mallika Akella in Charlotte and when he was about 11 he started tutelage under Smt. Charumathi Ramachandran of the GNB/MLV Bani. He has performed several Carnatic Vocal concerts in North Carolina and he has participated in the Sustaining Sampradhaya Program for the 2010 and 2015 Cleveland Thyagaraja Festivals.

Recently, he has started learning Hindustani music (Khayal styles) from Smt. Meena Fatarpekar of the Kirana Gharana school. He hopes to bring his knowledge in Carnatic Music to Hindustani Music and one day blend the styles in a unique way. Along with Indian Classical Vocal music, Vijay enjoys playing guitar and learning Jazz as well as other forms of Western Music. For fun, he likes reading, yoga, running, and being outdoors. He currently works in the IT consulting field.
    



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Follow us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel to enjoy the weekly ICAPS Virtual Mahotsavam series of concerts and dance performances by a versatile group of artists. 


Saturday, July 4, 2020

Virtual Mahosavam / Week #2 - Kuchipudi dance by Sri. Kasi Aysola on 7/11/20

In week #2 of the Virtual Mahotsavam, ICAPS will be featuring the talented dance artist Sri. Kasi Aysola.  His Kuchipudi performance will premiere live on ICAPS Richmond YouTube channel on Saturday, July 11th at 10 AM EST.  

Mark your calendar today to enjoy this program.

Bio of Sri. Kasi Aysola


Kasi Aysola is an evocative dance artist who is making his mark in the United States. He is the Co-founder & Artistic Director of Prakriti Dance, an innovative dance company that is on the rise in the world of dance. Kasi is a Bharata Natyam dancer, choreographer, and nattuvangam artist who trained under his Guru Viji Prakash in Bharata Natyam and mentors under world renowned performer Mythili Prakash. He has also trained in Kuchipudi under the late Guru Vempati Ravi Shankar, and continues his training under Yamini Saripalli. Kasi is pursuing both forms with hopes to inspire new generations of dancers to delve into the world of Indian performing arts. 

He has been privileged to study and work with leading exponents of Indian dance and has performed solo and group work in the US, India and abroad. As a Nattuvangam artist (vocal percussion) he has accompanied many artists in live performances such as Mythili Prakash, Ragamala Dance Company, Aparna Ramaswamy, Rama Vaidyanathan and Janaki Rangarajan. He has received recognition and funding from various organizations including National YoungArts Foundation, Montgomery County Arts and Humanities Council, Alliance for California Traditional Arts, Maryland States Arts Council.

A versatile and composite artist, he has studied Carnatic music under Smt. Vanaja Dasika.

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Follow us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel to enjoy the weekly ICAPS Virtual Mahotsavam series of concerts and dance performances by a versatile group of artists.