Nirmala Rajasekar

Nirmala Rajasekar began her training in the Saraswati veena at the age of 6 in Chennai[7] with Sri Deva Kottai Narayana Iyengar and Smt. Kamala Aswathama,[8] the mother of Smt. E. Gayathri. After moving to Bangalore, she studied at the Gana Mandira School in Basavangudi with Smt. G Chennama and Smt. E. P. Alamelu.[9][8] Rajasekar also received guidance from violinist Sri A.D. Zachariah[8] and Veena Sri S. Balachander.[8]

Rajasekar began her career as a soloist at the age of 13.[10][11][12] Upon returning to Chennai, Rajasekar came under the tutelage of Saraswati veena player Smt. Kalpakam Swaminathan, with whom she trained for nearly thirty years.[8][13] Through Swaminathan, Rajasekar is part of the Dikshitar shisya parampara.[14] In Chennai and Delhi, Rajasekar studied Carnatic vocal music with Sri B. Sitarama Sarma and Prof T.R. Subramaniam,[15] receiving a Government of India scholarship to study with the latter.[8]

Nirmala Rajasekar has been performing and composing for over forty years.[16] In her career, Rajasekar performs traditional Carnatic repertoire as a Saraswati veena exponent[1][7][8][12] and creates contemporary works through compositions and collaborations.[7][11][16] In 2020, Rajasekar was the annual Commissioned Composer of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, the longest-running program of its kind in the United States.[16][17] Past composers include Pauline Oliveros, Morton Feldman, John Cage, Jennifer Higdon, and Julia Wolfe.[17]

In 2007, Rajasekar's album Song of the Veena was released by Innova Recordings,[18] and in 2010, Innova released her album Into the Raga.[19] Rajasekar's third album with Innova, a collaborative world music album called Maithree: The Music of Friendship, was released in 2018.[20][11] The album was reviewed by Songlines,[21] WNYC New Sounds, and Jazz Weekly.[20] Other albums include Sudha Saagara, released by Charsur Digital Workstation,[22] and Melodic Expressions.[23]

Rajasekar has collaborated with artists including Pt. Ronu Majumdar,[5] Pt. Tarun Bhattacharya,[24] Pt. Gaurav Majumdar,[25] Sri Mysore Manjunath,[5] Sounds of Blackness,[2] Gao Hong,[26] Anthony Cox,[3] and poet Robert Bly.[27]

Rajasekar is an A-Grade artist of All-India Radio,[28][9] and has appeared on Australian Broadcasting Corporation,[29] British Broadcasting Company,[2] and Doordarshan Television.[28] Since 1989, Rajasekar has been a performing artist for the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.[28] Rajasekar has been featured at the National Music Museum[2] and the "Beyond Bollywood" exhibit presented by the Minnesota Historical Society and the Smithsonian Institution.[30]

Since 1995, Rajasekar has lived in Minnesota, USA,[7][11] touring several months each year to countries such as India,[7] Turkey,[4] Australia,[29] New Zealand, and Singapore.[28] Rajasekar's daughter and student, Shruthi Rajasekar, is a composer and vocalist.[3][10]

Nirmala Rajasekar is the founder and artistic director of the Naadha Rasa Center for Music,[9][27][4] and was recognized with the Prof. T.R. Subrahmanyam Teaching Award by the Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival.[31] She is also a COMPAS teaching artist.[1] Rajasekar currently serves as the co-chair of the Board of the American Composers Forum[6][32] and the Vice President of the Global Carnatic Musicians Association.[33][3]

• Kalaimamani Award from the Government of Tamil Nadu[34]
• 2020 Annual Commissioned Composer of University of Wisconsin-River Falls[17]
• 2018 Pratibha Puraskar ("Genius Prize") from Delhi Telugu Academy[32]
• Vocational Excellence Award from Rotary Club International[35]
• 2010 McKnight Fellowship[36]
• 2006 Bush Fellowship[37]