About Sandhya
"Music is a divine gift to mankind. Music for me is that which stirs the soul of the listener and elevates the singer to higher planes."
Sandhya Sridhar
Sandhya Sridhar's first forays into music were as a toddler, growing up in Matunga, a cultural center of Bombay. Music resounded from every corner of this bustling suburb and her formative years heralded in Shanmukhananda Sabha, the then largest arts center of its kind in the subcontinent.
By the age of 6, Sandhya was under the able tutelage of Smt.Alamelu mani, mother of modern day singing sensation Hariharan. She soon blossomed into an excellent student of remarkable talent and maturity. While she chose educational pursuits, and later motherhood as her priorities, music remained an integral part of her life.
It wasn't too long before she debuted again, this time in the role of a teacher. Over the past 20 years,
her insistence on excellence and authenticity of approach have become her hallmarks.
Not surprisingly, her students have become a main stay in premier venues of the Greater New England area,
and have won many prestigious prizes and making a name for themselves.
Sandhya is a long time resident of Nashua, New Hampshire.
Her husband Dr.Sridhar Raghavan, is currently an Entreprenuerial Technologist after a remarkable career in Academia and High-Tech industry, lastly as a Fellow at Motorola/Nokia-Siemens. Her daughter Dr. Vasanthi, a Graduate of Harvard and Columbia Universities, is a Cancer Genetics Researcher at
MIT-Harvard Broad Institute. She was recognized as one of "2018 STAT Wunderkinds". Vasanthi's husband Dr. Srini, an MD/PhD from Harvard is an associate professor at Harvard Medical school and an attending phyiscian at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Vasanthi and Srini are blessed with two daughters: a 4 year old, and a baby girl of 13 months. Sandhya's son, Dr. Ananth, a PhD from Mathematical Physics from UC Berkeley and an undergraduate of Columbia University is pursuing advanced research/engineering career at Google in Silicon Valley.
Sandhya was recently inducted into the Board of New Hampshuire Arts Council, and has been serving on the board of directors of MIT's MITHAS organization since 2008. She is a prominent and active member of the New England Indian community.
My philosophy
Smt. M.S. Subbulakshmi
Carl Sagan brought astronomy to the coffee table. M.S. Subbulakshmi accomplished the same for Carnatic music.
I draw my inspiration from such individuals.
"Aradhana." Worship or service to a higher cause. My Aradhana is through music.
Music is a divine gift to mankind. Music for me is that which stirs the soul of the listener and elevates the singer to higher planes.
Carnatic music lays great emphasis on vocal music. Bhavam (emotive expression), Ragam(melodic tune) and Talam(rhythm) are the essential ingredients of this form. The beautiful amalgam of all these features, weaved together in the context of spiritualism in a more general sense lays the cornerstone for classical music. Thus, the vocal form is an immense responsibility and challenge to impart. As a teacher I consider it my responsibility to preserve the tradition and meticulously nurture the younger generation in this art form. It is my endeavor to inspire every student to learn and appreciate Indian classical music in its most authentic and pure form. I strive to inculcate not only superior musical skills but also the character and values to become a good musician.