Brothers showcase Indian classical music

From child prodigies to consummate adult musicians, Shri Ganesh and Shri Kumaresh promise an evening of absolute musical excitement when they visit campus to perform on Sunday, April 1.

The brothers, both violinists, burst onto the classical music scene in India when they were 7 and 5. In the ensuing three decades they have lived up to not only their initial promise as virtuosos of the highest caliber, but also as composers of instrumental music.

Their appearance here comes as part of the UW–Madison Indian Graduate Students Association’s (IGSA) Indian Music Series.

Ravishankar Ramaswamy, a researcher at UW–Madison in the molecular biology of cancer cells, is responsible for bringing the Shri brothers to Madison. He says he has something of an ulterior motive in organizing these concerts, which he has done for the last three semesters.

“I am interested in spreading Indian music to both Indian and non-Indian audiences,” he says. “We try to get only inspirational artists, top-class musicians with something special to show. We try to have a variety of concerts from north and south India, instrumental, vocal, dance and so on.”

These efforts have been met with a great deal of success, he adds:

“We have seen audiences leave the concerts with a lot of information and insight about Indian music. We give handouts to audience members telling them a little something about the artists, Indian music in general and the style and format of each particular concert. We want to present every aspect of India’s rich musical heritage in its best form,” he says.

Although the role of concert organizer might seem far removed from his day job as a physician, Ramaswamy says that his work as the chief concert coordinator has enhanced his organization, duty-delegation and fiscal and people skills immeasurably.

“We have to consider who will host the artists when they are here. We have to draw up a budget, including the charges for the hall, sound equipment and technicians, honorarium, advertising and the information sheets that we distribute at the concerts — the handouts usually run about four pages. I play the contact person between the artists, their agents and sponsors, technicians and other people in our and other organizations,” he says.

Although it’s a huge amount of work Ramaswamy notes that it does have its rewards.

“When I do this I feel a sense of great achievement. By hosting these concerts, I think we make UW–Madison a truly special place that encourages diversity and excellent for everyone in every sphere of life,” he says.

Ramaswamy’s latest effort, free and open to all, will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Mosse Humanities Building’s Mills Hall. More information about Shri Ganesh and Shri Kumaresh is available at http://www.ganeshkumaresh.com. For details about the event, contact Ramaswamy at 262-5982 or ramaswamy@wisc.edu.