Sri Soumya Varanasi’s thematic classical music concerts have a contemporary touch

Sri Soumya Varanasi
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Hyderabad-based singer, songwriter and composer Sri Soumya Varanasi hosts a workshop on classical music at uncommon venues, seeing it as a chance to current totally different dimensions of music to a brand new viewers. Soumya, who performs classical music with a recent contact, has a busy month: conducting a music workshop for SoMa’s M&MS (Music and Thoughts Sequence) at The Moonshine Venture in Jubilee Hills (September 21), and presenting a second episode of The Kutcheri Venture by SoMa (September 29) at The Stage in District 150, Madhapur.

Reference to music

Soumya with a staff of singers
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Soumya was 12 when she felt a reference to music. Over time, this ‘small rooted thought’ led her to be taught and to contribute to the artwork. Even whereas singing the identical track at totally different live shows, she would replicate on its presentation and think about what new perspective she might add to it. Having skilled formally in Carnatic music in her childhood, the musician additionally forayed into mild music, Western and Hindustani music and movie songs.

Viewing music as an entity that she would favor to not put a tag or label on, she has discovered to take positives from totally different genres and convey out one of the best in her performances. ”I’ve been lucky that each one my gurus have seen music that manner,” says Soumya, presently a disciple of eminent musician Bombay Jayashri.

Launch of music faculty

Throughout a live performance
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The versatile musician-guru established a music faculty, Dhruvam, in 2016 , She was pleasantly stunned to find that kids grasp and understand music within the very first session and perceive it as soon as they kind a bond with it. “From feeling bored to asking questions like ‘Are these two songs of the identical ragam?’ created a thought course of inside me,” she recollects. That was her inspiration to do one thing greater than instructing. “Possibly it might encourage one one who has a special opinion on Indian classical music, not simply Carnatic music, as a result of I’ve personally benefited a lot from it.”

Progressive method
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With the launch of Dhruvam, a thematic idea in 2019, she collaborated with numerous musicians to carry out classical music with a contact of fusion and likewise did harmonies and a cappella together with her college students.

Having assisted composer MM Keeravani (in Baahubali and RRR) and with S S Thaman for background music in a few motion pictures the place there’s conventional music concerned — like ‘maguva maguva’ in Vakeel Saab — folks request her to sing a few movie songs throughout live shows. “I inform them, ‘I’m not towards movie songs. I’ll do one thing else, hear and provides me suggestions,”’ remembers Sowmya who sang the ghazal ‘Aaj Jane Ki Zid Na Karo’ throughout a live performance.

Fusion acts

Sowmya
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A few of her thematic fusion acts have featured the kriti ‘Bho Shambo, Shiva Shambo’ in a jugalbandi with percussionists Pavan Kumarand Ramakrishna, in addition to the normal stotram ‘Aigiri Nandini’ being introduced with harmonies and some English lyrics on empowering girls.

Over time, Sowmya formed her concept slowly and acquired encouragement from Hemendra Reddy, one of many founders of The Moonshine Venture. Calling herself SoMa, she designed a 12-member thematic live performance SoMaphia (‘phia’ which means feminine saint in Greek) held at Ext by Moonshine in 2023.

The SoMaphia live performance portrayed a lady’s phases of life, by way of numerous musical compositions. The live performance concluded with the track ‘Aigiri Nandini’, urging the viewers to hearken to their inside voice. “We may very well be surrounded by 100 totally different opinions however now we have to provide house to the one voice talking to us from inside.”

Sowmya admits some folks query or dislike her manner of presenting classical music with fusion. That makes her doubt herself too, particularly when she will get crucial or unhealthy suggestions. “I ask myself whether or not I’m doing it for the enjoyment of it or for some worldly function, to move on to the subsequent era.”

Evolving to adapt

Adapting to altering occasions
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To adapt to altering occasions, she makes an effort to grasp her eight-year-old son’s perceptive. “I attempt to perceive his language and thought course of to know what at the moment’s kids are pondering. It’s inspiring. In music, my precept is to delve deep into any composition, with out affecting its essence.” Whereas tweaking compositions she goes together with her instincts to examine if she has enhanced or tampered with the essential parts of a composition. “It’s not simple. I examine if I can add one thing helpful, in any other case I current it the best way I can.”

In November, she gears up for a lecture on how music provides worth to motion pictures, at Annapurna Movie Media Faculty and a Carnatic live performance at Saptaparni. Hoping to carry out at extra venues, she says, “I need to work on how Indian classical music might be delivered to the subsequent era. If somebody desires to be part of my live shows, I need to create a small slot for them.”