KANNIKS KANNIKESWARAN

Reviews

New: Upcoming concert -- The Sound of Seasons

"In Shanti, East Meets West and the Result is Harmony..",
- The Morning Call, April 2006

"After a successful concert with 166 singers before a 2500 strong audience in Cincinnati OH, engineer Kanniks Kannikeswaran re-created the same magic at Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University, Bethlehem PA."
- India Abroad, June 2006

"The synthesis of the east and the west was evident in the pulsating music, where folk music was accompanied by a synthesizer and other western instruments. This is truly the theme of this festival, what this f estival aims at - making a platform for all countries to become one"
- The Asian Age, January 1999 (about Jeevan Taal)

"Interconnectedness is the message he seeks to  convey about life on Earth..." The Cincinnati Post, April 1997 (about The Blue  Jewel)

"Your presentation of Chitram was brilliant and your approach, very practical. Through this production you clearly demonstrate India's vision of plurality and the fact that our differences vanish in the face of our oneness"
Solomon Pappaiah, Well known scholar

"The pinnacle of this year's WorldFest was the repeat performance of The Blue Jewel..." The News Record, June 1997 (about The Blue Jewel)

"It is amazing that Kanniks has communicated the essence of rAgas such as kalyANi to a western choir and an orchestra through a written score and has had sanskrit slokas performed  in these  rAgas with perfectly syntactic choral harmony... Tamilnadu will soon get to know Kanniks Kannikeswaran and his amazing music.."
Writer Sujatha - Highly regarded author and script writer (Tamil) - in leading Tamil weekly Ananda Vikatan, August 2005 (about Shanti).

"Kanniks continually surprises me. His music lifts my spirit. His music is infused with juice and passion and he unabashedly mixes and weaves new sounds and ways. He creates a vision of collaboration and breadth to the values, philosophy, content which he adopts for his musical expression..."
Fanchon Shur, Director - Growth in Motion  Center, Cincinnati (The Blue  Jewel, 1996).

"Your vision and talents are extraordinary and need to be shared with the world.."
Dr. Eric Abercrumbie, Director - African American Cultural Center, Director - Ethnic Programs and Services, University of Cincinnati

"I was personally overwhelmed with the quality and beauty of The Blue  Jewel. The standards of production, musical and aesthetic value clearly were consistent with standards for professional productions that  travel across this great country. the Blue  Jewel was  one of the finest productions ever presented on this campus. ....Thank you for your effort, imagination, creativity, professionalism and commitment to making ours  one of the best universities in the country......" 
Dr. Mitchel Livingston, Vice President - Student Affairs & Human Resources, University of Cincinnati

"Thank you for sharing your talents and  resources to make this world a better place for all of us".
Mary Darner, St. John's Unitarian Universalist Church

"Special thanks to Kanniks - a magical musician from Madras...." St. John's Unitarian Universalist Church (1996)

"Tiruvarangam is a masterpiece....No other song can evoke the same sublime feeling as amalanAdi pirAn in tiruvarangam"
Crazy Mohan, Leading Playwright and dialogue writer, Chennai,  India

"The sounds of Shanti seemed literally to soar towards the heavens, taking us to unimaginable heights of oneness with our Creator and creating a deep peace in our souls even in the midst of the violence and intolerance that surrounds us today...."
Padma Cariappa, From the Audience, 2004 (Shanti)

"It happened right before my eyes, unawared. A symphony got molded. And on May 20th in the 1000 seater Zoellner Arts Center in the heart of Lehigh valley, the choir poured out heart and soul, what they had learned over the past year in almost perfect unsion. The western choir and orchestra joined dancers and visuals in presenting a saga of a civilization in its travel over 5000 years and 5000 leagues".
Shankar Natraj, Choir Member, Shanti - Lehigh Valley

 "The message of Shanti is one that is needed in Cincinnati during this time of racial turmoil and misunderstanding. I hope that your production will travel to other parts of Ohio, so that more people can share in its message. I applaud your efforts in building a better, more tolerant and peaceful future for all of us....."
Nirmal Sinha, commissioner,  Ohio Civil Rights Commission

"The Great Hall was filled to capacity and so were our hearts. You continue to be an outstanding citizen of the Cincinnati  community and I am proud to have you as a kindred spirit who thirsts for peace, community and justice...."
Dr. Mitchel Livingston, Vice President - Student Affairs and Services, University of Cincinnati

"The Indian dance and music tradition is as rich and powerful as it is ancient. To fuse this heritage with what is probably the youngest if not the most vibrant - i.e. the American music and theater - is indeed a unique experiment. This seamless integration  will add a new dimension to the cultural ties between the two countries and create a truly universal musical show. May the message of 'Shanti' or 'Peace' spread forth across the globe....."
Lalit Mansingh, Ambassador of India to the United States

"Computer whiz shows creative side. Systems man is  a musical composer...."
The Lantern, 1999 (The Blue  Jewel)

"Your orchestration of classical rAgas such as aThANa in a contemporary idiom is just fascinating..."
vA.vE.Su - Poet and Writer (Tamil) - Chennai, India (Tamil Amudham, April 1998)