Shruthi Rajasekar

Bahaari Baarish

Rajasekar has drawn on the melodic and rhythmic grammar of both traditions of Indian classical music, Hindustani and Carnatic, to create a unique choral celebration of springtime. The meaning of the title, Bahaari Baarish, is twofold, translating as 'spring rains' as well as 'downpour of Bahaar', the Hindustani raag on the which the piece is based. This piece was commissioned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Royal Northern College of Music, and the premiere was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in June 2023. A video guide filmed by the composer to introduce the pronunciation of the text, along with the grammar of ornamentation and how to render phrases of the raag, is available through a companion website.

Shruthi Rajasekar

Named by The Guardian as a composer 'who will enrich your life', Shruthi Rajasekar's compositions explore the themes of identity, community, and joy. Rajasekar draws from her dual background in the Carnatic (South Indian classical) and Western classical musical traditions to create intersectional music. She was awarded the Global Women in Music Award from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Foundation Adkins Chiti: Donne in Musica. Rajasekar was a 2023 Jerome Hill Artist Fellow Rajasekar and has been an artist-in-residence at the Tusen Takk Foundation, Britten Pears Arts, and the Anderson Center. She was a Marshall Scholar in the UK, where she pursued postgraduate studies in composition and ethnomusicology. A graduate of Princeton University, Rajasekar lives in Minnesota and serves on the board of new music chamber ensemble Zeitgeist.