BIOGRAPHY
Maestro KALA RAMNATH, the contemporary torch bearer of the Mewati Gharana, stands today amongst the most outstanding instrumental musicians in the North Indian classical genre. Born into a family of prodigious musical talent, which has given Indian music such violin legends as Prof. T.N. KRISHNAN and Dr. N. RAJAM, KALA's genius with the violin manifested itself from childhood. KALA began playing the violin at the tender age of three under the strict tutelage of her grandfather Vidwan. NARAYAN IYER. Simultaneously she received training from her aunt Dr. Smt. N. RAJAM. For fifteen years she put herself under the training of Mewati vocal maestro, Sangeet Martand PANDIT JASRAJ. This has brought a rare vocal emotionalism to her art. Her violin playing is characterized by an immaculate bowing and playing technique brought about by the dexterous use of her fingers, command over all aspects of rhythm, richness and clarity in pitch and tone. All this innate artistry and technical brilliance combined with a rare and exquisite emotional quality are the hallmarks of the style. She has completely revolutionized the technique of playing the violin by taking this instrument so close to vocal music that today her violin is called THE SINGING VIOLIN.
KALA has performed at all major music festivals in India, prominent among them being Shankarlal Festival-Delhi, Tansen Samaroh-Gwalior, Saptak- Ahmedabad, Pt Motiram and Pt. Maniram Conference- Hyderabad , Spirit of Unity concerts-Delhi, Swami Haridas Sangeet Sammelan-Mathura, Sawai Gandharva Music Conference-Pune, Sankat Mochan Sangeet Samaroh-Varanasi, Doverlane Music Conference-Kolkata, Baba Harvallabh Sangeet Sammelan-Jullunder, Ustad Amir Khan Sangeet Samaroh-Bhopal, Gunidas Sangeet Sammelan-Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore and IMG Xaviers Festival Mumbai to name a few.
In 1984, she won the President's award in the prestigious AIR music competition. In 1988, she became the first ever-Hindustani musician and violinist to record for CBS India Ltd. Besides being a brilliant and charismatic musician, KALA has also an outstanding academic record. She is also a top grade artiste in Radio and Television. She also has won many awards, RASHTRIYA KUMAR GANDHARVA SANMAN, PANDIT JASRAJ GAURAV PURASKAR, SUR RATNA, SUR MANI to name a few.
KALA has won the acclaim of discerning audiences and critics worldwide. She has performed in some of the most prestigious international festivals internationally, which also feature some of the most famous musicians of the world. Some selected ones are: World Music Festival in Montreal Canada, Rhythms of India in Ottawa- Canada presented by the Canadian Arts Council, Festival of India presented by Government of India in Dhaka Bangladesh, Celebrations of India's fiftieth year of Independence in Europe by ICCR, North Sea Jazz Festival in Cape Town, South Africa, Bath Festival in Bath, England and the South Asian Heritage Festival in Toronto, Canada. She has also extensively toured the United States, Canada, UK, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Italy, France, Belgium, Greece, Russia, South Africa, Seychelles, Middle East, Trinidad, Kenya, Tanzania, Australia, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Mauritius etc. Some other concerts have been in some of the most prestigious venues like the Carnegie Hall in New York, Queen Elizabeth Hall London, and Sydney Opera House etc.
Not only is Kala a great performer she is also a great teacher. Her lecture demonstrations and workshops all over the world particularly at the Rotterdam Conservatory of Music in Netherlands, University of Giessen in Germany and the Weill Music Institute in association with the Carnegie Hall are worth mention here. She has also been associated with teaching in schools in London and Nottingham, England.
Kala has also been experimenting with several types of genres of music - both within the traditions of Indian Classical music and also crossovers to other types of music. Her duets or jugalbandis have taken the music world by storm and have been highly acclaimed by critics and connoisseurs. Her forays into fusion and world music have been a very great success. After having worked and experimented with some world renowned legends in music like Ustad Zakir Hussain, Ray Manzarek of the Doors, Kala also played with the renowned Eduardo Niebla who plays Spanish Flamenco music on the Guitar, with Eyvind Kang and his new age music and with the classical orchestra in Bologna. Kala performs for her unique group called Raga Afrika which is a collaboration with some renowned African musicians creating Indo-Afro Jazz music. She, along with Jazz Saxophonist George Brooks, has a band called Global Conversation performing raga-influenced jazz and jazz inflected raga.
Kala also has been involved in the background score of the Hollywood film BLOOD DIAMOND working with composers like James Newton Howard and George Acogny.
Besides all these, she has many CDs to her credit. The prestigious Songlines Magazine reviewing World Music voted the Sense World Album KALA, and SAMVAD Top of the World in its charts for the year 2004, YASHILA for 2006 and SAMAYA for 2008.
SONGLINES also selected her as one of the fifty best instrumentalists of the world in the genre of World Music and also her CD KALA as one of the fifty best recordings of the world.
Kala became the First Indian Violinist in 2006 to be the subject of a major feature in THE STRAD- the periodical viewed as the "VIOLIN BIBLE".
The Encyclopedia- Rough Guide to World Music in its third edition, which was released 21st December 2009, has a solo essay on her for her contributions in the field of violin in Indian Music.
Maestro KALA RAMNATH, the contemporary torch bearer of the Mewati Gharana, stands today amongst the most outstanding instrumental musicians in the North Indian classical genre. Born into a family of prodigious musical talent, which has given Indian music such violin legends as Prof. T.N. KRISHNAN and Dr. N. RAJAM, KALA's genius with the violin manifested itself from childhood. KALA began playing the violin at the tender age of three under the strict tutelage of her grandfather Vidwan. NARAYAN IYER. Simultaneously she received training from her aunt Dr. Smt. N. RAJAM. For fifteen years she put herself under the training of Mewati vocal maestro, Sangeet Martand PANDIT JASRAJ. This has brought a rare vocal emotionalism to her art. Her violin playing is characterized by an immaculate bowing and playing technique brought about by the dexterous use of her fingers, command over all aspects of rhythm, richness and clarity in pitch and tone. All this innate artistry and technical brilliance combined with a rare and exquisite emotional quality are the hallmarks of the style. She has completely revolutionized the technique of playing the violin by taking this instrument so close to vocal music that today her violin is called THE SINGING VIOLIN.
KALA has performed at all major music festivals in India, prominent among them being Shankarlal Festival-Delhi, Tansen Samaroh-Gwalior, Saptak- Ahmedabad, Pt Motiram and Pt. Maniram Conference- Hyderabad , Spirit of Unity concerts-Delhi, Swami Haridas Sangeet Sammelan-Mathura, Sawai Gandharva Music Conference-Pune, Sankat Mochan Sangeet Samaroh-Varanasi, Doverlane Music Conference-Kolkata, Baba Harvallabh Sangeet Sammelan-Jullunder, Ustad Amir Khan Sangeet Samaroh-Bhopal, Gunidas Sangeet Sammelan-Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore and IMG Xaviers Festival Mumbai to name a few.
In 1984, she won the President's award in the prestigious AIR music competition. In 1988, she became the first ever-Hindustani musician and violinist to record for CBS India Ltd. Besides being a brilliant and charismatic musician, KALA has also an outstanding academic record. She is also a top grade artiste in Radio and Television. She also has won many awards, RASHTRIYA KUMAR GANDHARVA SANMAN, PANDIT JASRAJ GAURAV PURASKAR, SUR RATNA, SUR MANI to name a few.
KALA has won the acclaim of discerning audiences and critics worldwide. She has performed in some of the most prestigious international festivals internationally, which also feature some of the most famous musicians of the world. Some selected ones are: World Music Festival in Montreal Canada, Rhythms of India in Ottawa- Canada presented by the Canadian Arts Council, Festival of India presented by Government of India in Dhaka Bangladesh, Celebrations of India's fiftieth year of Independence in Europe by ICCR, North Sea Jazz Festival in Cape Town, South Africa, Bath Festival in Bath, England and the South Asian Heritage Festival in Toronto, Canada. She has also extensively toured the United States, Canada, UK, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Italy, France, Belgium, Greece, Russia, South Africa, Seychelles, Middle East, Trinidad, Kenya, Tanzania, Australia, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Mauritius etc. Some other concerts have been in some of the most prestigious venues like the Carnegie Hall in New York, Queen Elizabeth Hall London, and Sydney Opera House etc.
Not only is Kala a great performer she is also a great teacher. Her lecture demonstrations and workshops all over the world particularly at the Rotterdam Conservatory of Music in Netherlands, University of Giessen in Germany and the Weill Music Institute in association with the Carnegie Hall are worth mention here. She has also been associated with teaching in schools in London and Nottingham, England.
Kala has also been experimenting with several types of genres of music - both within the traditions of Indian Classical music and also crossovers to other types of music. Her duets or jugalbandis have taken the music world by storm and have been highly acclaimed by critics and connoisseurs. Her forays into fusion and world music have been a very great success. After having worked and experimented with some world renowned legends in music like Ustad Zakir Hussain, Ray Manzarek of the Doors, Kala also played with the renowned Eduardo Niebla who plays Spanish Flamenco music on the Guitar, with Eyvind Kang and his new age music and with the classical orchestra in Bologna. Kala performs for her unique group called Raga Afrika which is a collaboration with some renowned African musicians creating Indo-Afro Jazz music. She, along with Jazz Saxophonist George Brooks, has a band called Global Conversation performing raga-influenced jazz and jazz inflected raga.
Kala also has been involved in the background score of the Hollywood film BLOOD DIAMOND working with composers like James Newton Howard and George Acogny.
Besides all these, she has many CDs to her credit. The prestigious Songlines Magazine reviewing World Music voted the Sense World Album KALA, and SAMVAD Top of the World in its charts for the year 2004, YASHILA for 2006 and SAMAYA for 2008.
SONGLINES also selected her as one of the fifty best instrumentalists of the world in the genre of World Music and also her CD KALA as one of the fifty best recordings of the world.
Kala became the First Indian Violinist in 2006 to be the subject of a major feature in THE STRAD- the periodical viewed as the "VIOLIN BIBLE".
The Encyclopedia- Rough Guide to World Music in its third edition, which was released 21st December 2009, has a solo essay on her for her contributions in the field of violin in Indian Music.
