Presented by the Emerson/Harris Program for Private Study Solo Recital Series
Program
TBD
Livestream: https://mta.mit.edu/viewlisten/live-killian-hall
About the Performers
As a South Indian classical vocalist and flutist raised in the United States, Skanda Rao’s experience of music is much like the Tanglish he speaks at home: firmly grounded in the South Indian tradition with borrowed language for novel ideation and a strong desire for cross-cultural dialogue. He leads MIT Swara, a space where Carnatic musicians on campus can practice and perform, and he juggles about a dozen bamboo flutes in different keys while playing with the Festival Jazz Ensemble and the brimming CMS jazz combos group affectionately known as the Koalas.
Through his initial training from his mother Dr. Bhavani Prakash, Skanda has won numerous awards across the country in major festivals like the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana and Great Composer’s Day, appearing as a finalist in the first Carnatic Music Idol USA. He now sings and plays in local recitals and festivals in Boston and New Jersey, and he is a frequent orchestra member for classical dance recitals across the country.
Recently, Skanda has benefitted profoundly from advanced lessons with the flutist Shashank Subramanyam, the vocalist Tara Anand Bangalore, and the saxophonist Phil Scarff. At MIT, he works as a PhD student in condensed matter physics, where, as in music, he explores how introducing interactions leads to complexity, subtlety, and beauty, proving that in both physics and cross-cultural music, more is truly different
About the Emerson/Harris Program for Private Study
Support for private musical study is available for students through the Emerson/Harris Program (E/HP), which offers merit-based financial awards for outstanding achievement on instruments or voice in classical, jazz, or world music. Each academic year, the program awards Scholarships and Fellowships to nearly seventy students who commit to a full year’s study and participate in the musical life of MIT.
Auditions for the program are held at the beginning of each academic year. Private teacher selections, made in consultation with the E/HP jury heads, may include instructors from MIT staff and throughout Greater Boston. The Emerson/Harris Program is funded by the late Mr. Cherry L. Emerson, Jr. (SM, 1941), in response to an appeal from AssociateProvost Ellen T. Harris (Class of 1949 Professor Emeritus of Music). The Emerson/Harris Masterclass Series is supported, in part, by the Robert L. Malster (1956) Fund.
This project is presented as part of Artfinity, an Institute-sponsored event celebrating creativity and community at MIT. Artfinity is organized by the Office of the Arts.
