Shruthi Rajasekar
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Shruthi Rajasekar is an American composer[1][2] and singer[3] of contemporary Western classical and Carnatic music.[1][4][5] Rajasekar is a 2025 McKnight Fellow in Composition.[6]
Early life and music career
[edit]Shruthi Rajasekar was born and raised in Minnesota, USA.[7] She is the daughter of Carnatic musician Nirmala Rajasekar[7][8] and is of Indian Tamilian descent.[9][10]
Shruthi Rajasekar graduated from Princeton University,[11][12] where she studied with Donnacha Dennehy, Barbara White, Juri Seo, Dan Trueman, and Gabriel Crouch.[11][13] During this time, she also studied at the Royal College of Music in London with Patricia Rozario.[13]
Rajasekar went to the United Kingdom on a Marshall Scholarship.[12] She pursued a postgraduate degree in ethnomusicology at SOAS, University of London with supervisor Richard Widdess.[14] She also received her master's degree in composition at the Royal Northern College of Music.[1][15]
In 2020, BBC Music Magazine named Rajasekar a "Rising Star."[7] In 2023, Rajasekar was made an Associate of the Royal Northern College of Music for her "exceptional contributions to the profession."[16][9]
Rajasekar received a 2025 Artist & Culture Bearer Fellowship in Composition from the McKnight Foundation and American Composers Forum.[6]
Sarojini
[edit]In 2021, Rajasekar created a multi-movement work called Sarojini on Sarojini Naidu and the Indian Independence Movement.[17] The work contains poetry and speeches by Naidu, including writings from "The Broken Wing" and a compilation of Naidu's texts edited by G.A. Natesan.[18][19] Sarojini was premiered by Hertfordshire Chorus and conductor David Temple in 2022, in honor of the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence.[17][20]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "This composer combines South Indian classical music and Western choral tradition". The Seattle Times. 2022-12-07. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ Collon, Nicholas; Gardner, Edward; Hollingworth, Robert; Karabits, Kirill; Oramo, Sakari; Petrenko, Vasily; Rattle, Simon; Rouvali, Santtu-Matias; Vogt, Lars (2020-03-08). "Blistering and virtuosic, depth and wisdom... women composers we should listen to". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ "Composer Spotlight: Shruthi Rajasekar". www.yourclassical.org. 2021-03-16. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ Peacocke, Gemma (2019-04-16). "5 Questions to Ninfea Cruttwell-Reade and Shruthi Rajasekar (composers)". I CARE IF YOU LISTEN. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ "10 contemporary women composers to add to your music rotation". www.yourclassical.org. 2021-03-03. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ a b LISTEN, I. CARE IF YOU (2025-02-04). "Announcing the 2025 McKnight Composer Fellowship and Visiting Residency Awardees". I CARE IF YOU LISTEN. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ a b c Hubbard, Rob (2024-02-13). "Shruthi Rajasekar performs her new work 'Parivaar' as part of the Schubert Club Mix". www.startribune.com. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ "Carnatic music master Nirmala Rajasekar passes on love for music". MPR News. 2012-11-14. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ a b Nair, Sreelakshmi S. (2024-01-06). "Tunes of merit". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ Danish Raza, Star Tribune (2019-08-09). "Four artists from India who made their mark on Minnesota". www.startribune.com. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ a b "Students have the power to expand culture and inclusion at Princeton". The Princetonian. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ a b Valenti, Denise (4 December 2017). "Senior Rajasekar awarded Marshall Scholarship for graduate study in the UK". www.princeton.edu. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ a b MoreCanvas (2023-04-16). "Advisee Stories: Bridging Musical Worlds from Carnatic to Chamber Music". Department of Music at Princeton University. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ "Shruthi Rajasekar". Tusen Takk Foundation. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ "Shruthi Rajasekar | Interlochen Center for the Arts". www.interlochen.org. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ "RNCM announces recipients of 2023 Honorary Awards - Royal Northern College of Music". RNCM. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ a b Hugill, Planet. "Sarojini: Shruthi Rajasekar's new piece, premiered by Hertfordshire Chorus, merges Western classical and Carnatic musical traditions". Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ "New commission". Hertfordshire Chorus. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ Hertfordshire Chorus (2021-04-16). Hertfordshire Chorus TV - David Temple in conversation with Shruthi Rajasekar. Retrieved 2025-06-17 – via YouTube.
- ^ "'Pandemic has taught us how valuable, and indeed precious, live music is,' says musician Shruthi Rajasekar | EasternEye". www.easterneye.biz. Retrieved 2025-06-17.