We are at a stage
in history, where we are equipped with the powers of science and information like never
before. We also have in our possession the collective wisdom of our ancestors which can
lead us into ways of living sustainably on earth, leading a life which will hand over the
heritage of our planet to our children exactly as we received it, in its richness,
resources and life.
Kanniks
Kannikeswaran The Blue Jewel 1996
Kanniks
Kannikeswaran is a visionary musician, composer, music educator
and writer with several recordings, productions and scores to his
credit. Kanniks' skill lies in his ability to create captivating
music easily accessible to a broad audience base, blending complex
features of diverse World Music forms. His work - in Templenet as well
as in other projects draws upon his technical skills, and his strong background in Indian
culture and music traditions.
All of Kanniks'
projects are consistent with his vision of building community through
the celebration of threads of commonality between diverse peoples and
cultures.
Kanniks' recent work Shanti
- a theatrical presentation of the theme of peace, using the 5000 years
of Indian cultural history as the context and a grand music score
synthesizing elements of ancient chants, Indian raagas and
symphonic orchestration won accolades from the community leaders and
critics alike. Shanti - featured a range of his compositions from tillaanas
to oratorios and was performed by a 140 member choir (The Greater
Cincinnati Indian music choir, Martin Luther King Coalition
Chorale and the St. John's Unitarian Church choir) and a 25
member chamber orchestra. Shanti is to be presented again in 2006
on a grander scale.
In Chitram
- another multimedia theater production, Kanniks explores the diversity
and plurality inherent in the very nature of Indian culture, through
music, dance and a journey through the multi-faceted aspects of India.
Chitram was performed at Wright State University in Spring 2005 and was
hailed as an extraordinarily educative program created with the
finest sense of aesthetics.
As a musician, Kanniks
has collaborated with leading artistes from around the world. His work The Snake
Concerto was performed by the prestigious Cincinnati Pops
Orchestra, conducted by John Morris Russell. His
score for Jeevan Taal (produced by Mallika Sarabhai -
for Mahotsav 1999), based on several Indian folk music traditions was choreographed by Mrinalini
Sarabhai, one of the foremost exponents of classical and modern Indian dance, and
has received wide acclaim from the Indian press.
Kanniks has
collaborated with Lakshmi Shankar (featured in the Academy Award winning
score of Gandhi) one of the foremost classical musicians of India and
with celebrated conductor Catherine Roma on several occasions.
In 1998, Kanniks
composed The Cosmic Dance Halls, a musical feature celebrating the five
revered Dance Hall temples of Shiva Nataraja. This work weaves the legends around the five
dance halls in a musical framework based on south indian classical music, and it draws
selectively from the tamil hymns of the Nayanmar saints of the 1st millennium CE. The
Cosmic Dance Halls was choreographed by Kalaimamani Saraswathi Sundaresan
and was performed at the Patteeswarar temple at Coimbatore during the Natyanjali festival
in 1998 and has been featured several times on the state owned
television network Doordarshan.
Kanniks' album Tiruvarangam
(1992) explores the Prabandam hymns of the Alwars of the 1st millennium CE
(celebrating the glory of Srirangam in Tamilnadu) in a contemporary idiom, and has been
acclaimed widely.
In 1996, Kanniks
composed and directed The Blue
Jewel, a musical salutation to the planet
Earth, bringing together a wide range of artistes to celebrate the message of
interconnectedness of life on earth. The Blue Jewel received acclaim from critics
and community leaders alike in Cincinnati, and was performed again in 1997 and in 1999.
Kanniks has lectured
extensively on Indian culture and has offered music workshops and
diversity training at several educational
institutions, corporations and cultural organizations nationwide.
Kanniks' workshops have been hailed as being very informative and
comprehensive and have earned tremendous praise from diverse audiences.
Kanniks is the
force behind the Greater Cincinnati Indian community choir that he
founded to explore polyphonic avenues in raaga based music.
Kanniks
is a passionate educator and he teaches Indian Music at the College
Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati. He also regularly
conducts music workshops for children as well as adult learners at
Cincinnati Ohio and at Allentown Pennsylvania.
Kanniks - based in
Cincinnati Ohio, hails from Chennai India. He graduated with a Bachelors degree in
Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology - Chennai, and then later on acquired
advanced degrees in Engineering and Business in the United States. He has several
years of experience in the field of Information Technology with
particular emphasis on Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing.
