Nivedita ShivRaj is one of three Queens composers who were chosen as winners of the Con Edison Musicians’ Residency: Composition Program**. Nivedita is a composer, performer and teacher of Carnatic (South Indian classical) music. We recently asked her to tell us more about her time in residence at Flushing Town Hall, as well as her current projects.
What kind of work have you been able to accomplish during your residency thus far?
My work consisted of creating new compositions based on Indian Ragas, for instrumental orchestra. During the residency, I was able to work on several parts of the compositions and script them using Indian music notations.
How has the Con Edison Residency helped you?
The residency has helped me to set goals to complete the compositions and the space provided at the Flushing Town Hall gave me a calm and professional environment to work with full focus and concentration. It provided the much needed impetus for creating a new work. The town hall was a perfect rendezvous to exchange musical thoughts with other performing artists of different genres.
You work primarily in carnatic ragas, the classical music of southern India. But you also integrate modern sounds, digital technologies and electronica. How do they interrelate? And who has been influential on your work here?
Carnatic music dates back 1000 years and has followed a vocal tradition supported by native instruments. Musicians have been adapting instruments from other parts of the world into carnatic music traditions since the 19th century, which has been welcomed and accepted widely. Fusion music is also being appreciated by audience world over.
This has encouraged me to experiment with modern technology and create music digitally. Digital music now provides for blending the traditional music with non-traditional instruments and rhythms. This gives a new flavor to the traditional music, and helps to reach a wider audience who are not familiar with Indian classical music.
My husband, Shiv Venkatram - a contemporary musician working with digital music - has been a great influence on my work in combining digital music with classical music.
What has been your greatest success to date?
I have a long way to go to reach the level that can be claimed as a great success and I am on my journey towards that goal. All my successes to this day are small steps towards a bigger goal.
What’s challenging about being a musician working in NYC?
It is a challenge to reach out to the audience and catch their attention as there is an abundant pool of great artistic talent and also because of the huge multi ethnic community in Queens and in NYC. Marketing for performances and promoting, publicizing a performance is a big challenge especially when we are working with small budgets.
Is there any advice that you would give to a musician and/or composer at the start of their career?
I can share with them what I practice – be open to ideas and not be reluctant to try out new things. Explore every opportunity that comes your way!
You’ve composed for meditation and also performed in a lot of sacred spaces. What role does spirituality play in your work?
Carnatic music is predominantly spiritual and meditative. I enjoy the divinity present in the music of the Veena, whether I am composing or performing I let this feeling of serenity and peace translate into my work. I love to experience the spiritual power of the music and have the penchant to share that feeling with the listeners too.
How can we learn more about you and your work?
From my website www.niveditashivraj.com or my blog http://niveditashivraj.wordpress.com/.
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**Each of the three winners of the Con Edison Musicians’ Residency: Composition Program received use of composition and rehearsal space in Flushing Town Hall, in Flushing, Queens, for a three-month period, as well as a stipend. The winners were selected through a competitive review process by panelists from the New York City music community.
The Con Edison Musicians’ Residency had its genesis in NYC Performing Arts Spaces’ 2008 study “Where Can We Work?”, an examination of how access to workspace in New York City impacts musicians’ ability to compose, rehearse and perform. The study was made possible by a seminal grant from the New York State Music Fund.
Funding for this pilot program comes from Con Edison, the Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation, The Amphion Foundation, and the Reed Foundation. NYC Performing Arts Spaces developed and administered the program, and expects to expand this residency program, serving both performing artists and cultural facilities, to other locations and boroughs. To receive the first announcement of future residencies at Flushing Town Hall, sign up for the email newsletters of NYC Performing Arts Spaces.
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