SAPTASWAR

Mohan Somasundaran (manager/coordinator): A faculty at the UMASS Medical School in Worcester, Mohan’s passion for Indian Classical and Contemporary music was behind his launching of the radio program “Saptaswar” 15 years ago that is aired on Sunday nights from WCUW, 91.3FM Worcester Community radio (www.wcuw.com). With the same drive to contribute and give back to the community, 7 years ago Mohan brought together very talented musicians from within the Indian community of New England area under the “Saptaswar: Music Group with a Cause” banner – musicians who have the passion for music and who are serious about performing as a group. Since then, Saptaswar has been performing Bollywood songs, South Indian Film songs, and creative musical numbers in public and private venues in Central Massachusetts. Mohan Somasundaran can be contacted at chakravakam@hotmail.com

Few of the current Saptaswarites who are part of the music ensemble:

Sudha (Lakshmi) Rao (female singer): A homemaker and big fan of old Indian film music, has been performing since 1988 (especially the golden oldies). She is very indebted to her husband, son and daughter for their support in all her musical endeavors. Sudha has been with Saptaswar since 2001 and is also deeply involved with and committed to Tanker Foundation (an organization in Chennai that helps the poor and needy with kidney ailments) and Bala Mandir (a home for orphan and destitute children in Chennai). Sudha has been giving private Karaoke performances in the New England area.

Raghu Saranathan (male singer): By profession, an IT Consultant based in the Boston Metro, Raghu comes from a family that appreciates good music and is especially attached to Carnatic music. He is currently taking Carnatic Music lessons from Tara Anand. He is grateful to his wife for her constant support in his pursuit of his life as a singer. Raghu has been with Saptaswar since 2003 and is very much at ease singing new and old songs, be it in Hindi or Tamil or any other Indian languages. Raghu has also been giving private Karaoke performances.

Vinay Mishra (male singer): Vinay has been singing since the age of 10, initially taught at home by his mother. Later, he received Hindustani vocal training from Shri Mukesh Desai in the Poconos in Pennsylvania. Professionally, he holds a PhD in chemical engineering and currently heads the research & development lab for Devcon, an adhesive manufacturer in Danvers, MA. .

Krithika Jeyaraman (female singer): A management professional based in Boston, Krithika developed an ear for music through her family. Her father and grandmother were her greatest inspirations, and her mother was her greatest source of encouragement. A great fan of Indian Carnatic classical music as well as film music, she enjoys all forms of music. Krithika is at ease on stage singing with a band or with a karaoke. She has been giving private karaoke performances in the New England area.

Rahul Bharadwaj (male singer): A graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in biological Sciences, Rahul’s strongest musical influence is from his mother who is a Veena Vidushi and an All India Radio A grade artist. He has been singing western songs (genre: hard rock, soft rock and pop) since the age of 7. He writes, composes and sings. His popular groups include U2, Aerosmith, Bryan Adams, Richard Marx and Guns N Roses, and many of his songs have influences of these groups in terms of writing style and tunes.

Christy Mathew (keyboard): A composer, arranger, and producer, Christy is a faculty member of the prestigious Berklee school of Music. Christy has been with Saptaswar since its inception, and has written music for ensembles ranging from solo instruments to chamber music to symphony orchestra. His compositions have been performed by the Esterhazy String Quartet and by the Boston Conservatory Orchestra. His albums include Heartbeats, Thirunamam, Zindagi, etc.

Hiral Parikh (drums): A Software engineer by profession, Hiral considers music as fresh air, and considers rhythm as heart beat for the soul. He has been part of Saptaswar’s concerts ever since he recently moved to the area. He had played in his College bands before coming to the US, and enjoys playing for old and new songs – contemporary or fusion.

Raj Alur (guitar): Raj is a Managing Director at Vesbridge Partners, a venture capital firm focused on investing in IT startups. Raj is also the President of the Boston chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TIE).

Karthik Krishnan (guitar): An Electrical Engineer from Delhi College of Engineering, Karthik is currently pursuing a PhD in Finance at Boston College. He also played with the Connecticut Indian music group called Dhvani for two years.

Harshal Tole (tabla): Harshal started learning tabla when he was 4 years old. His teacher was Pt. Gopalrao Wadegaonkar (disciple of Ustad Amir Hussain Khan Sahib) of Farrukhabad Gharana. Harshal has won several regional and national competitions, including the ones held by All India Radio. He has accompanied internationally famed artists such as Pt. Tarun Bhattacharya, Pt. Vidyadhar Vyas, Pandit Raghunath Seth, Pt. Bhajan Sopori, Mrs. Kumkum Sanyal and Pandit Mohan Singh. In addition to Hindustani classical concerts, Harshal plays tabla for contemporary Bollywood concerts. He loves to sing ghazals.