Arts Activities Support

For the 2016 fall season, Indian Music Society of Minnesota averaged 250 people/concert, including workshop attendees. Surveys revealed excitement from members of the audience about exposure to the music and the artists, and appreciation of Indian Music Society of Minnesota’s role in bringing this about. We also received numerous requests after every concert for contact information regarding tabla, vocal and instrumental teachers in the area. The fall 2016 Indian Music Society of Minnesota concert season in a manner similar to the previous Fall season, focused on instrumental music (and vocal inspired instrumental styles). We included both senior artists as well as young, upcoming performers representing both Hindustani (North Indian) and Carnatic (South Indian) genres. The three-concert season as originally planned had included a Hindustani (North Indian) Sarangi recital by Harsh Narayan on September 18, a Carnatic (South Indian) Instrumental duet (jugalbandi) concert featuring the power couple, Dr. Jayanthi Kumaresh on the Veena and Maestro R. Kumaresh on the violin on October 9, ending with the Hindustani Bansuri (Bamboo Flute) recital by Pandit Rakesh Chaurasia, with Tabla accompaniment by Aditya Kalyanpur on October 31. The annual community festival of music Aradhana showcasing local talent was also included in the season offerings and was held on November 12. We are confident that we achieved our overall artistic goals. First, we were able to expose both experienced and new audiences to North as well as South Indian styles of Indian classical music and second, we were able to present the entire selection of instruments mentioned in the original grant submission - sarangi, violin, veena, mridangam, flute and tabla. However, the sarangi performance originally planned for September 18 had to be cancelled. The reason for the cancellation was that Harsh Narayan, the main artiste, did not obtain his travel visa in time and consequently had to forgo his entire USA tour. Ensuring that the selected artist/accompanist combination is able to perform on the day and at the venue agreed upon is a persistent (and growing) challenge that is, unfortunately, here to stay for the foreseeable future as the visa granting process becomes steadily more cumbersome for touring artistes. Fortunately for us, Pandit Pankaj Mishra, an equally accomplished sarangi player, was also on a North American tour in the fall and agreed to perform on November 6 with Subhajyoti Guha accompanying on tabla. The setbacks encountered due to visa delays and rejections have motivated us to identify and keep on file, other touring performers of similar caliber as back-up options, early in the concert season. All concerts were outstanding and very well received. The two workshops conducted by Dr. Jayanthi Kumaresh following the veena/violin duet in October were also a resounding success, and helped improve the quality of the music while boosting the confidence of the participants in the community festival, Aradhana, that took place on November 12 at the Hindu Temple of Minnesota. The small ticket price increase that had been put in place in 2015 still kept our prices low, by most standards, and well within the reach of the general public, particularly students and seniors, while allowing us to accommodate artists' fee increases and continue to showcase the very best of Indian classical music in accordance with our mission. Our aim was to increase the awareness and understanding of the rich diverse traditions of Indian classical music in the Greater Twin Cities. For Fall 2016, again, our theme was instrumental music. We presented both North and South Indian styles and included the violin, veena (South), bamboo flute, (North) and percussion instruments, mridangam and tabla. The concert series made it possible for Indian and non-Indian Twin Cities’ residents to experience live classical music performed by world-renowned senior and talented upcoming younger artists visiting from India, as well as by artists residing in the USA and local Minnesota talent. In addition to seasoned listeners and connoisseurs of music, the performances were also able to draw the uninitiated and younger generation non-Indians to a unique musical experience, and to reach community members of diverse ethnic backgrounds and economic status. Invaluable educational experience was offered to students of music, in performance format and in workshop and classroom format. The explanations, lectures and workshops, in particular, helped to make the unrelenting classical style of music a little less daunting and more approachable to first timers. Last, but not least, with the Aradhana community festival, we staged a performance that promoted local (Greater Twin Cities) talent of all age groups, backgrounds and skill levels, and helped to improve community participation and awareness. The audience, as expected, comprised largely of Indian community members drawn from the greater Twin Cities. For the first veena/violin duet, 50% were of Indian background, 30% were Caucasian, 10% African Americans and 10% were represented by other ethnic groups. The Oct 31st and Nov 6th events, the bamboo flute concert had a slightly different demographic, attracting more community members of non-Indian ethnic background and more young people than the previous event. This might have had to do with the exotic nature of the bamboo flute, the relative young age of the performers and the additional student and group discounts that were offered. Indian Music Society of Minnesota’s efforts to ensure accessibility through various means, including educational tools, economic breaks, varied programming, and performance venue standards were also successful. Although general admission ticket prices increased slightly since 2015, non-members could save on online advance tickets. The two venues for the 2016 season, the Performing Arts Center at the Normandale Community College and the Nath Auditorium in Maple Grove, are venues that provide excellent access to those with disabilities, with access ramps to the theater, space for wheelchair seating inside the hall, and handicap access to facilities. A small number of volunteers were at hand to provide rides to and from our concerts in case of need. The availability of these rides and special seating facilities ensured that our senior patrons and members with disabilities were able to attend.