“Everything in my music journey was my own drive… I actually love this.” Shruthi’s story of “falling in love at first sight” will inspire you.

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In this edition of the Oxford Series we explore the vibrant fusion of Carnatic and Western classical music through the eyes of a composer who crafts her identity into every note. Shruthi Rajasekar shares her journey of improvisation and cultural expression, and inviting you to experience music as a living, breathing art form. Shruthi was a wonderful conversation partner, and had some very interesting insights to share about her creative process. She even flipped around and asked me questions on occasion!

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We also discuss the importance of cultural identity in music in general, the role of “the tonic” in Carnatic music, and the intersections of different musical styles. Shruthi emphasizes the collaborative nature of music-making and the significance of community in choral settings. She also reflects on the influence of literature on her work and the balance between personal and political themes in her music.

Tune in now on YouTube or your favorite podcast app!

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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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For future rehearsal clips, find me on TikTok, Insta and FB!

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Named a composer “who will enrich your life” by The Guardian, Shruthi Rajasekar, ARNCM (b. 1996) is an Indian-American musician whose work highlights identity, community, and joy.

Shruthi is a 2025 ACF McKnight Composer Fellow with the American Composers Forum, a fellowship given to “outstanding mid-career artists.” She was made an Associate of the Royal Northern College of Music (ARNCM) “in recognition of exceptional contributions made to the music profession” and was awarded a 2023-2025 Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship for “taking creative risks.” Shruthi’s compositions have won numerous honors, including the KHORIKOS ORTUS International Award, the Composers Guild of New Jersey Award, and the Global Women in Music Award from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights & Donne in Musica Adkins Chiti Foundation. BBC Music Magazine named Shruthi a 2020 Rising Star. Performed in North America, Europe, and Asia in venues such as the Royal Albert Hall (London, UK), the Cannes Film Festival (France), the National Centre for Performing Arts (Mumbai, India), and Victoria Hall (Singapore), Shruthi’s music has additionally reached thousands of listeners across the world on BBC Radio 3 & 4, Spotify’s Official Classical Releases, Minnesota Public Radio, and more.

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Shruthi’s diverse output reflects her diasporic South Asian identity, her dual performance background in Carnatic (South Indian classical) and Western classical musics, and her belief in the importance of communal gathering and civic engagement. Recent projects include Sarojini (a large choral-orchestral and Indian ensemble composition about the Indian Independence Movement) and Whose Names Are Unknown (a choral-instrumental climate action and workers’ rights piece), the multimedia work Parivaar commissioned by the Schubert Club, new vocal pieces for VOCES8, The Gesualdo Six, ORA Singers, Seattle Pro Musica, and Yale University’s Institute of Sacred Music, and large ensemble, chamber, and solo instrumental works such as To ask is to listen, a new cross-genre composition commissioned by Wigmore Hall for Abel Selaocoe & the Hermes Experiment. In addition to working with today’s leading musicians, Shruthi is passionate about composing for early performers and has created multiple educational pieces for ABRSM. Shruthi’s work has been recorded by the BBC Singers, the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, Maithree, Corvus Consort, Somerville College (University of Oxford), and Queens College (University of Cambridge), among others. In November 2021, her music was performed at the United Nations COP26. Shruthi has been an artist-in-residence at Britten Pears Arts (Snape, UK), Tusen Takk Foundation (Michigan, USA), and the Anderson Center (Minnesota, USA).

An award-winning Carnatic and Western classical vocalist, Shruthi is equally adept in traditional and experimental settings. She has perform