Name: Concert: Sarojini
Start: 2025-10-25T16:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-10-25T18:00:00-05:00
Location: Ted Mann Concert Hall

Advance ticket sales for this concert are now closed. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at the door on Saturday beginning at 2:45 PM.

Experience a groundbreaking fusion where classical music traditions of South India and the West meet. Hear a North American premiere unlike any other by Minnesota’s own Shruthi Rajasekar. Hailed as “the most exciting piece of new music for choir and orchestra” by Canadian critic Natasha Gauthier, Sarojini (pronounced sa-RO-ji-ni) brings world-renowned Indian musicians Nirmala Rajasekar and Thanjavur Murgaboopathi, the VocalEssence Chorus and Ensemble Singers, and the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra together in a thrilling soundscape that tells the story of India’s fight for independence from the British Empire.

“Your ideals of patriotism should not be limited to the prosperity of India; they should extend to the welfare of the world.”—Sarojini Naidu

PERFORMERS

Nirmala Rajasekar, veena and vocal soloist
Thanjavur K. Murugaboopathi, percussion
Min Kim, harp
Inna Staneva, flute
VocalEssence Chorus
VocalEssence Ensemble Singers
Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra
Steven Amundson, conductor
Philip Brunelle, conductor
G. Phillip Shoultz, III, conductor

PROGRAM

Sarojini, Shruthi Rajasekar
Jayjaykar!, Shruthi Rajasekar
She Will Transform You, Reena Esmail
Indra, Gustav Holst
Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Set 3, Gustav Holst
Nunc Dimittis, Gustav Holst
Good Friday, Gustav Holst

Digital Concert Program

THINGS TO KNOW

Carnatic music is a classical musical tradition primarily associated with South India. It’s known for its intricate melodies, complex rhythms, and improvisational nature, rooted in ancient Hindu texts and traditions. The primary emphasis is on vocal music, with compositions often designed to be sung and performed in a “gāyaki” (singing) style.
Sarojini Naidu (1879-1949) was a prominent South Asian activist, politician, and poet who played an important role in the independence of India from British rule while advocating for civil rights and women’s emancipation.
Composer Shruthi Rajasekar participated in VocalEssence ReMix, a program that offered one-on-one composer mentorships to emerging Minnesota composers as they each wrote choral works to be premiered by VocalEssence, during the 2017-2018 season.

LISTEN AND WATCH

Enjoy a video of GPS & Friends that features an engaging conversation with Nirmala & Shruthi Rajasekar. The mother-daughter pair discuss their musical upbringings and the role that their Indian heritage has had on their musical and personal lives. With performances ranging from the South Indian Carnatic tradition to contemporary art songs, they bring us on a journey through their own lives and the musical traditions that have nourished them.
Click the button below to watch.
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Image gallery

Nirmala Rajasekar playing the veena, a plucked string instrument. Photo Credit: ReyMash Photography
Thanjavur K. Murugaboopathi playing the mridangam, a South Indian hand drum. Photo Credit: ReyMash Photography
Shruthi Rajasekar. Photo Credit: Roscoe Rutter
Steven Amundson, conductor of Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra