On Thursday, the MICDS Virtuosi hosted guest artist Kalayogi Guru Prasanna Kasthuri in Brauer Auditorium much to the delight of our student musicians. Guru Kasthuri is a dancer and musician who specializes in Indian Classical traditions. He performs and teaches in two of the eight Indian classical dance forms: Bharathanatyam and Kathak. Additionally, he is a skilled Carnatic vocalist who has composed music to the Bharathanatyam and Kathak dance forms, and he is a passionate dramatist, writer, and Mrudangam (Indian drum) player. Guru Kasthuri is known for bringing hundreds of Indian artists to St. Louis since 2008 by organizing both the Annual Saint Louis Indian Music Natya Festival and St. Louis Indian Dance Festival. Fittingly, he was awarded the title of “Kala Yogi” in 2015 in recognition of his devotion to Indian performing arts in the West.
Guru Kasthuri helped our violin, cello, flute, and piano musicians understand and play the Carnatic song Raghuvamsa Sudha, composed by Patnam Subramania Iyer. “Virtuosi musicians are playing this along with student vocal soloist Saivi Gadi ’25,” shared conductor Dr. Jo Nardolillo, Orchestra Director and JK-12 Arts Department Chair. The virtuosi is a new class this school year. “What distinguishes it from other music classes is that it is a conductorless chamber ensemble that is student-run using a collaborative leadership model. This means students not only play without a conductor, but they run the rehearsals themselves and make key decisions such as choosing what music to play,” explains Nardolillo.
This visit came together when Dr. Nardolillo asked Gadi if she would be interested in singing a solo classical Carnatic song with the orchestra. “I have been learning Carnatic music for 11 years, and I have also completed a four-year certification course (certified by Siliconandhra, conducted by Potti Sreeramulu University in California), where I learned the theory and science behind this ancient art form,” said Saivi. “I was excited to see where the project would go, and after speaking with my own vocal music teacher, I decided on the song Raghuvamsa Sudha. I selected this because it is lively and vibrant, has a beautiful meaning, and has a large scope for orchestral interpretation. It also has challenging sections for me as the soloist, with fast passages and difficult rhythms. Taking inspiration from a fusion version of Raghuvamsa Sudha, Dr. Nardolillo wrote a score for all of the parts in our ensemble (flute, cello, violin, piano). My role as a soloist in this piece has helped me build my leadership, performance, and teamwork skills, and I have also come to know my Virtuosi peers better. Dr. Nardolillo always guides us in bridging the gap between these music forms. I am so grateful for Dr. Nardolillo and my Virtuosi peers for supporting me in this piece and making it work! Overall, this experience has helped me gain an appreciation for the complexities and similarities of both Carnatic and Western music.”
First, the Virtuosi performed the song all the way through for the visiting artist. Then, Guru Kasthuri offered feedback as the group practiced it throughout the rest of the class period, having the students pause at certain points so he could share what could be improved.
Guru Kasthuri explained that the soloist was following a primary rhythm called “Adi Thalam,” which calls for eight beats. He compared this with the instrumentalists’ rhythm of a 4/4 time signature, which means that there are four beats. Blending these two guiding rhythms was part of the challenge of the piece since the singer is going by a slightly different rhythm than the rest of the ensemble.
Additionally, the guest artist coached the vocal soloist on how to trust the Virtuosi, removing any unnecessary gaps when the vocal part required singing in off-beats. He also gave feedback for the flute part, which allowed for more cohesion with the rest of the instruments. Most of all, he complimented the Virtuosi, noticing the extra notes added to the piano part and the very nice cello part, and he commented several times about how beautiful it all was.
“It was truly an amazing experience having Guru Prasanna Kasthuri come to our class and give us feedback on our rendition!” shared Saivi. “This piece, in particular, is a challenge because it blends both Carnatic and Western-style music where scales, beat cycles, and rhythms are quite different. Some important advice he gave us was to bring out the emotion of the song, along with the rasa—or flavor—of the scale. He explained that Carnatic music is based on ragas (scales), and it is important to explore its unique phrases while still keeping the integrity of its structure. This especially stuck with me because I learned a lot about the complex rules of ragas in my certification course, and it made me think about how I can add characteristic phrases in my rendition of Raghuvamsa Sudha.”
At one point, Guru Kasthuri said, “Everything is beautiful. I’m only giving a critique because you’re asking me to.” Then he added, “If you could find a drum, though, that would be great.” Fast forward to just a moment later and Guru Kasthuri joined the students and conductor on stage with a tambourine that he used as a drum for the rest of the song practice. With the drum and the guru’s feedback in mind, the piece was elevated to the next level.
Guru Kasthuri also gave some background of the 200-year-old song and described how others think of it. “When people think of this song,” he shared, “they think of the magnanimity [noble spirit] of Rama [one of the most widely worshipped Hindu deities].” He also helped the students grasp the feeling of the song. “Making the notes is not enough to give it emotion. That comes with practice and with acting selflessly,” he explained. “Follow the song. It’s a beautiful composition with a beautiful melody. Just follow the song, follow the lead, and follow your great teacher here.”
For the last 10 minutes of the class, every student had the opportunity to ask the guest artist a question. Here are just a few of them:
- How can you blend different art cultures? “Go to the basics,” Guru Kasthuri answered. “Rhythm is generally the same across countries and cultures. Like an onion—an onion is still the same whether it’s cooked here or in India; it’s just cooked differently. Such are the feelings of humanity the same. The traditional skills of dance and music have lots of similarities across different cultures. Feelings are put into music, and music has no boundaries.”
- Where do you get inspiration for your art? “Everywhere,” he replied. “I got inspiration from you today. From the vocal soloist and what she is learning here, how your teacher is incorporating everything. I also get inspiration from events, nature, and many other things.”
- What should we think about when playing this piece? Guru Kasthuri responded, “Every melody has a feeling. Play around the notes, get to truly know them, and then get lost in the feeling.”
Gadi added, “Guruji also talked about the importance of music across different cultures. Several years ago, he created an innovative Indian Classical dance production based on famous English and American poems, including Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18. When asked about the inspiration for blending different art forms, he said that while music structures across different cultures may be different, the human emotion and connection behind it are all the same. Music is truly the universal language, transcending all differences.”
The visit ended with the Virtuosi stomping their feet in music-style appreciation/applause for Guru Kasthuri’s visit, inspiration, and feedback. The group will continue to put his advice into practice leading up to when they perform this number at the Fall Concert on November 30.
Dr. Nardolillo shared what she hoped students got out of the experience: “What I hope students have taken away from the experience is that music is a universal language that everyone understands and shares. As artists, these young musicians have the power to unlock doors and connect people in deep, even spiritual ways. Guru’s message that we take with us: leave behind the mechanics of playing your instrument — focus instead on conveying the meaning of the music.”
A very special thanks to Saivi Gadi and Dr. Nardolillo for making this piece happen and to Sudha Venkatachalam, MICDS Data Analyst, for coordinating Guru Kasthuri’s visit to our MICDS Virtuosi! Thank you, Guru Kasthuri, for sharing your vast artistic wisdom with our students today! The beauty of this song’s final performance will largely be thanks to you!