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37-400: In the early 1970s, Cleveland was home to an informal group of Indian immigrants and their families, known as the "Cleveland Bhajan Group". When Ramnad Raghavan , the noted mridangam artist from India moved to Cleveland in 1977, he discovered that many members of the group had learned music as children, and wanted to start some activities to revive their interest in music. He suggested starting

74-684: A Tyagaraja Aradhana in Cleveland, and offered to train the group to sing Tyagaraja's compositions, as is done in the original Tyagaraja Aradhana held in Tiruvaiyyar . At his suggestion, V.V. Sundaram, R. Balasubramaniam ("Cleveland Balu"), and Gomathy Balasubramaniam formed the Aradhana Committee to organize and conduct the Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival. The first festival was held on April 8, 1978, in

111-435: A blend of raga , bhava , rhythm and lyrical beauty. Lalgudi's instrumental talent comes to the fore in the form of lyrical excellence. He brought vocal style into violin, and his renditions exhibit knowledge of lyrical content of the compositions. Lalgudi actively and scientifically learned to self-critique his performances and dutifully wrote detailed reviews after each concert, a habit encouraged by his father and guru. He

148-757: A dance drama Pancheswaram , composed by Lalgudi, was staged. His biography, An Incurable Romantic , by Lakshmi Devnath, was released posthumously in 2013. It contains a foreword by sitarist Ravi Shankar , and charts his 70 years in the music industry. Jayaraman earned several titles, such as 'Nada Vidya Tilaka' by Music Lovers’ Association of Lalgudi in 1963, ' Padma Shri ' by the Government of India in 1972, 'Nada Vidya Rathnakara' by East West Exchange in New York, 'Vadya Sangeetha Kalaratna' by Bharathi Society, New York; ' Sangeetha Choodamani ' by Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai in 1971; State Vidwan of Tamil Nadu by

185-505: A fellow of the Sangeet Natak Akademi . Lalgudi Jayaraman was married to Smt Rajalakshmi and had two children, son G.J.R.Krishnan and daughter Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi . Both follow the footsteps of their father and are famous in their own right. Jayaraman had three sisters Padmavathy, a vainika, Rajalakshmi and Srimathi, both violinists. Srimathi learned violin from him as well. The renowned veena player Jayanthi Kumaresh

222-695: A great deal of visibility across the world through regular coverage on Indian television, as well as media partners providing live streaming of the event. In 2019, the centerpiece of the festival, the Pancharatna Krithi singing in remembrance of Saint Tyagaraja shifted from the Waejten Auditorium at CSU Music building to the Wolstein Center Indoor stadium to accommodate the growth since the Waejten couldn't accommodate

259-491: A larger audience. The festival traditionally started with a brief puja, followed by bhajans sung by the Cleveland Bhajan Group. This was followed by the group singing of the pancharathna krithis , which was open to everyone attending the festival, including visiting artists. A South Indian lunch prepared by volunteers was served free to all attendees. Anyone who wished to perform a composition of Tyagaraja

296-593: A lecture of his at the Niagara chapter of the Society for Ethnomusicology . They began collaborating on a series of projects, and Prof. Tuttle suggested that the Festival move to the university's campus in order to attract and accommodate a larger audience. Since 1979, the university has been the venue for the Festival. Starting in 1979, the Festival also started bringing musicians from India to perform, in order to draw

333-516: A number of performers drawn from across the US and Canada. Some are musicians who immigrated from India, and others grew up in North America, came up through the competitions and other initiatives, and took up music or dance seriously as a performing art. These artists have been featured alongside senior musicians from India, and have also conceived and executed programs independently at the behest of

370-519: A tour in the year 1984 to Oman , UAE , Qatar and Bahrain , which was highly successful. He composed the lyrics and music for the operatic ballet Jaya Jaya Devi , which premiered in 1994 at Cleveland , Ohio (US) and was staged in many other cities in the United States. In October 1999, Lalgudi performed in the UK under the auspices of Sruthi Laya Sangham (Institute of fine arts). After the concert,

407-493: Is a mix of vocalists and instrumentalists, and the committee has made it a point to include veena and nadaswaram artists each year to support these traditional instruments. The festival also started featuring a small number of Hindustani concerts, since 2012. There are also a number of dance performances at the festival. These are mostly Bharathanatyam, but Kuchipudi , Kathak , Kathakali , Mohiniyattam , Odissi , Yakshagana , and Andhra Natyam have also been featured. Many of

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444-526: Is his sister Smt Rajalakshmi's daughter. Jayaraman died on 22 April 2013 after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home in Chennai . Most famous for his thillanas and varnams , Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman is considered one of the most prolific composers of modern times. His compositions span four languages ( Tamil , Telugu , Kannada and Sanskrit ), as well as a whole range of ragas not conventionally used for varnams or thillanas. Characteristic of his style,

481-1054: Is usually for Bharatanatyam, but other dance forms such as Kuchipudi and Kathak have also been included. Since 2011, the Aradhana Committee has also hosted a festival in Chennai , during the December music season. The festival primarily features American youth performers of classical music and dance, but also includes musicians based in India. Through partnerships in India, the committee has also promoted concert performances of Indian-American youth in Chennai sabhas, as well as on national television programs such as Nadaneerajanam in Tirupati. The committee has also worked with media organizations to produce television talent shows such as Carnatic Music Idol USA, and Natya Urchavam to showcase American talent to audiences abroad. Ramnad Raghavan Ramnad V. Raghavan (19 June 1927 – 21 November 2009)

518-713: The Edinburgh Festival in 1965, Yehudi Menuhin , the renowned violinist, impressed by Lalgudi's technique and performance, presented him with his Italian violin. Lalgudi presented Menuhin with an ivory dancing Nataraja when Menuhin visited India. He has also performed in Singapore, Malaysia , Manila and East European countries. His recordings submitted to the International Music Council , Baghdad , Asian Pacific Music Rostrum and Iraq Broadcasting Agency by AIR New Delhi have been adjudged as

555-598: The Swathi Thirunal thillana 'Gitu Dhunika Taka Dhim' in Raga Dhanashree and set the compositions in its current form, which then went on to become hugely popular Apart from these compositions, Sri Lalgudi jayaraman has composed jathiswarams and swarajathis as well. The jathiswaram in Rasikapriya raga is popular among Bharatanatyam dancers. He has also composed a unique swarajathi which demonstrates

592-441: The "Concert Competition", and "Advanced Pallavi ", where the winners receive a performance opportunity in the following year. To complement the music competition, the festival also started hosting a Bharathanatyam competition in 2007, with one age category. The dance competition attracts participants from all over the world, and has grown to include four age categories. It is conducted over two days, with live preliminary rounds on

629-562: The Aradhana Committee to perform in Cleveland, as well as to tour the United States. In 2007, the Aradhana Committee launched an educational program called Sustaining Sampradaya. Each year, they select children from across the US, and put them through a rigorous six-month training program via video-conferencing, culminating in group performances at the festival in Cleveland. The students are trained by senior musicians in India, and learn compositions that have been transmitted for centuries through an oral tradition. The committee makes notations for

666-692: The Government of Tamil Nadu and Sangeetha Natak Academy award in 1979 etc. The First Chowdaiah Memorial National-Level award was given to Sri Jayaraman by the Chief Minister of Karnataka . He also received honorary citizenship of Maryland , US in 1994 and the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 2001. He won the National Film Award for Best Music Direction for the film Sringaram in 2006. In 2010, Jayaraman became

703-504: The US and Canada. The Sundaram family and the Balasubramaniam family would host all visiting musicians. In addition, they would connect visitors with local families who would host them, often total strangers, in their homes for the duration of the festival. The festival format consisted of just one concert for many years, and would rarely feature two or three, spread over Easter weekend. The first major growth occurred in 1992, when

740-407: The age of 82 in Chennai. His students have included Glen Velez , Jamey Haddad , David Nelson , Patricia Shehan Campbell, Frank Bennett, and Joseph M. Getter. Lalgudi Jayaraman Lalgudi Gopala Iyer Jayaraman (17 September 1930 – 22 April 2013) was an Indian Carnatic violinist, vocalist and composer. He is commonly grouped with M.S. Gopalakrishnan and T.N.Krishnan as part of

777-560: The best and accorded the first position out of 77 entries received from the various countries during 1979. He was invited to give concerts at Cologne , Belgium and France. The Government of India chose him to represent India at the Festival of India in USA, London and he gave solo and 'Jugalbandi' concerts in London and also in Germany and Italy that received rave reviews. Sri Lalgudi went on

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814-399: The compositions, and recordings of the lessons available to download for free from their web site . As of 2016, lessons for over 300 unique compositions are available to download. Each year, the festival includes a workshop for students of Indian dance, called Margam. The workshop is conducted by a different dance teacher each year and has spanned several different dance schools. The workshop

851-558: The crowd due to fire code regulations, In 1993, the festival started hosting a music competition for children and youth across North America, with visiting musicians from India as the judges. The competitions have grown over the years, and have become the largest Carnatic music competition in the United States, with over 850 entries in 2016. The competition is open to vocalists and instrumentalists (including percussion), and includes advanced categories for improvisation such as niraval and kalpana swaram . The two highest level competitions are

888-460: The dance performances are specially commissioned works, with original music and choreography ( Ramayana in 5 parts, 2011; Mahabharatha in 5 parts, 2014; Srimad Bhagavatham in 5 parts, 2017). The festival is notable for the large participation of children and youth. Apart from the music and dance competitions, there are also several concerts presented by music schools that bring large numbers of their students from across North America. Winners from

925-884: The festival has regularly featured star musicians and dancers from India, and also commissioned major dance productions with original music compositions, for their world premier in Cleveland. By 2002, the festival had grown to span across the entire week following Easter Sunday into the next weekend, with a series of music and dance performances. Notable artists over the years included star performers like Nithyasree Mahadevan , Ranjani-Gayatri , Sudha Raghunathan , Lalgudi Jayaraman , K.V. Narayanaswamy , Sanjay Subrahmanyan , and T.M. Krishna , Thiruvarur Bhakthavatsalam , T S Nandakumar, Nagai Muralidharan , Mannargudi Easwaran , Srimushnam Raja Rao , S.Sowmya , Trichy Sankaran as well as stalwarts such as T. Muktha (in her last public performance), Parassalla Ponnamma , Thanjavur Sankara Iyer, and Kuzhikkarai Viswalingam. The festival also gained

962-591: The festival hosted a jugalbandhi featuring N. Ramani , Mandolin U. Srinivas , and Zakir Hussein , who were accompanied by A. Kanyakumari and Guruvayoor Dorai . That year attracted a massive turnout of people who were new to the festival and drawn by the unique programming. In the following years, the festival also hosted eminent dancers, such as Kamala , Vyjayanthimala Bali , and dance productions choreographed by Rhadha, such as Jaya Jaya Devi (original music composed by Lalgudi Jayaraman ), and Lakshmi Prabhavam (original music composed by N. Ravikiran ). Since then,

999-602: The first day, and finalists chosen to perform on the following day. A grand prize winner is selected across all categories, to perform in India during the Chennai December season . The Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival now takes place over 12 days, beginning the Wednesday before Easter. The majority of the programs presented are Carnatic music concerts. The festival includes a variety of musicians, from star performers to rising youngsters, to lesser-known stalwarts. There

1036-416: The lineage of a disciple of the musical trinity ( Musthuswamy Dikshitar , Sri Shyama Shastri , and St. Thyagaraja ), Lalgudi Jayaraman inherited the essence of Carnatic music from his father, V. R. Gopala Iyer, who trained him. Gopala Iyer, a martinet, enforced traits of intense focus and discipline in the young Jayaraman through rigorous lessons. Though a harsh father and guru, Gopala Iyer would not allow

1073-415: The melody of his compositions camouflages subtle rhythmic intricacies. His compositions are very popular with Bharathanatyam dancers, even as they have become a standard highlight of every leading Carnatic musician 's repertoire. His compositions include: Ragas: Bilahari , Huseni, Valaji , Saranga, Sucharitra , Athana , Rasikapriya , Sahana , Nadanamakriya Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman also tuned

1110-403: The music and dance competitions are also regularly featured in productions. There have also been a number of collaborative programs involving non-Indian musicians, both as a fusion of Indian and Western classical music, as well Jazz and World Music concerts. The year 2020 saw no festival due to the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to visiting artists from India, the festival also features

1147-592: The rented hall of Faith United Church of Christ, in Richmond Heights, Ohio . It included a group performance of the Pancharathna krithis , individual singing of Tyagaraja's krithis, followed by a concert in the evening by Saroja Balasubramaniam, from Maryland , to an audience of 75 people. In the Fall of 1978, Prof. T. Temple Tuttle of Cleveland State University befriended Ramnad Raghavan after attending

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1184-851: The violin trinity of Carnatic music. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 2001. His disciples included his two children Lalgudi G. J. R. Krishnan and Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi ; his sister Lalgudi Srimathi Brahmanandam; former composer-conductor of All India Radio's Vadya Vrinda National Orchestra P. Purnachander Rao; the musician S P Ramh (grandson of Shri. G.N. Dandapani Iyer); Harikatha exponent Vishaka Hari ; Carnatic vocalist Saketharaman ; Vittal Ramamurthy ; Dr. N. Shashidhar; film music composer Girishh G ; Padma Shankar; Kanchan Chandran; Raghuram Hosahalli; London violinist Shri A.G.A.Gnanasundaram; Srinivasamurthy; Pakkala Ramdas; Sankari Krishnan; Yamini Ramesh; Mumbai Shilpa; Shreya Devnath; Krithika Natarajan; Salem Sisters; Vainika Srikanth Chary; and Bombay Jayashri Ramnath . Born in

1221-548: The young Jayaraman to even sharpen pencils, believing that his tender fingers were too precious. At the age of 12, he started his musical career as an accompanying violinist to Carnatic musicians before rising as a prominent soloist. He expanded the style of violin playing by inventing a new technique that is designed to suit the needs of Indian Classical Music and establishing a unique style that came to be known as Lalgudi Bani . Jayaraman composed several ' kritis ', ' tillanas ' and ' varnams ' and dance compositions, which are

1258-690: Was a player of the mridangam . He was born in Madurai , Tamil Nadu , India , to P. Vaidyanatha Ayyar of Kooniyur , Tirunelveli district, and Brhannayaki. His elder brother Ramnad Krishnan was a famous Carnatic vocalist. Beginning in 1970, he taught for many years at Wesleyan University in Connecticut , United States . He was also a key initiator for the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana . He retired around 2000 and moved to Chennai , India . He died on 21 November 2009 at

1295-655: Was forbidden from accompanying female artistes by his father, a promise that he kept. He has given concerts extensively in India as well as abroad. The Government of India sent him to Russia as a member of the Indian Cultural Delegation. He was the first to bring international attention to the Carnatic style of violin playing. He also introduced a new concept of musical ensemble with violin, venu (flute) and veena in 1966. After inviting him to play

1332-449: Was given a five-minute slot during the individual singing part of the festival. The last program of the day was a full concert performed by a visiting professional musician from India. The festival was regularly conducted during spring break for local schools. Starting in 1987, it was scheduled to align to Easter weekend, which has continued ever since. The Aradhana Committee would print invitations and mail them to Indian families across

1369-805: Was loath to experiment on stage in his solo concerts and almost always planned to the last detail, leading a certain critic to tout them as being intellectual rather than emotional in spirit, but Lalgudi's spontaneity and innate musical genius were often seen when he accompanied leading vocalists. He was always in great demand for accompanying vocalists, and has accompanied vocal virtuosos including Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar , Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar , M. D. Ramanathan , Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer , G. N. Balasubramaniam , Madurai Mani Iyer , Alathur brothers, Voleti Venkateswarulu, Nedunuri Krishnamurthy , K. V. Narayanaswamy , Maharajapuram Santhanam , D. K. Jayaraman , M.Balamuralikrishna , T. V. Sankaranarayanan , T. N. Seshagopalan and flute maestro N. Ramani . He

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