Ananya has made music in many places around the world, and she believes that “choir is everywhere” and for everyone.

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This week, I am discussing music with a unique guest for this show! Ananya Venkateswaran, is a 17-year-old choral High School Student in Abu Dhabi, UAE. She shares her unique experiences as a “third culture kid” and her journey in music. From her roots in Carnatic music to her passion for Western choral traditions, Ananya discusses the importance of cultural identity in music, her education in an international school, and her leadership experiences in choral settings. She reflects on her participation in the European Choir Games, where her trio represented the UAE, and emphasizes the interdisciplinary connections between music, language, and the arts. Ananya’s insights reveal a deep understanding of music’s role in bridging cultures and fostering community.

• She highlights the differences and similarities between Carnatic and Western music traditions.





• Ananya believes that aural and visual music learning complement each other.





• She advocates for a broader definition of choirs that includes various cultural expressions of group singing.





• Her interdisciplinary interests in social sciences and English enhance her musical understanding.

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Tune in now on YouTube or your favorite podcast app!

Tune in, and have your thinking stimulated and challenged. Then, weigh in yourself with your related ideas and experiences on Facebook in the Choralosophers group or over on choralosophy.substack.com Also, don’t forget to grab a reading rope for your classroom wall from the shop! Music Reading Rope

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Ananya Venkateswaran is a seventeen year old choral director, arranger, composer, and vocalist at the crossroads of several musical worlds. She is of Indian heritage, with US roots and nationality. However, she’s spent most of her life living in the United Arab Emirates and considers it home. Ananya is a classically trained Carnatic vocalist, but also grew up singing in a variety of Western Art Music choirs, and has been a member and soloist in various international honor choirs. Her musical identity is rooted in the multiple musical traditions that she’s grown up in, a love for cross-cultural conversation, and a deep-seated belief in the power of interdisciplinary thought pollination (her love for literature and writing influences her approach to score-studying, directing, and composing, as does her passion for the social sciences). As a choral director and singer, Ananya is a big believer in the importance of authentic musical diversity, the power of music to spark relevant dialogue, and the value of buildable skills like sight-reading.

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Ananya was the Founder, Artistic Director, and soprano of ARA | أرى. An unconducted, a cappella youth choir, ARA made history this past summer as the first ensemble to compete for the UAE on the global choral stage at the 2025 European Choir Games in Denmark. The smallest ensemble at the festival, ARA brought home a silver diploma. The ECG trip was a success against all odds, culminating countless hours of hard work, study, rehearsal, and learning on the fly.

Additionally, Ananya is the founder of Sound Circle, a community music-making initiative that has hosted events in India, the US, and the UAE across a variety of age ranges.

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