Acclaimed composer, vocalist, playwright and actress Kamala Sankaram will work with Cali students on a variety of creative events, including both her compositions and student compositions, culminating in a performance at Merkin Hall. Students and faculty alike are excited to learn about Kamala\u27s own background, influences and creative processes in addition to handling notation in an open and improvisatory way.https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/cali-immersive-residency-2021-2022/1007/thumbnail.jp

John J. Cali School of Music

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Montclair State University Digital Commons

Montclair State University Montclair State University Digital Commons 2021-2022 John J. Cali School of Music Immersive Residency Program 2-14-2022 Kamala Sankaram John J. Cali School of Music Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/cali-immersive-residency-2021-2022  Part of the Music Commons Recommended Citation John J. Cali School of Music, "Kamala Sankaram" (2022). 2021-2022. 8. https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/cali-immersive-residency-2021-2022/8 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the John J. Cali School of Music Immersive Residency Program at Montclair State University Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in 2021-2022 by an authorized administrator of Montclair State University Digital Commons. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@montclair.edu. CrescentKamala Sankaram and Bombay RickeyFeaturing students from the John J. Cali School of Music Leshowitz Recital HallThursday, February 17th, 20227:30 pmProgramCrescent (2022) - world premiere Kamala Sankaramb. 1978Kamala Sankaram, voice and electronicsOlolyga (2017) SankaramYejin Lee, soprano and electronicsThe Far Shore (2014) SankaramEmely Sepúlveda, sopranoWilliam Hobbs, pianoEight Phases of Luna (2019) SankaramGaDa Lambert, sopranoCourtney San Martin, sopranoTaylor Amato, sopranoJason Zacher, bass-baritoneSeungchan Hong, baritoneWilliam Hobbs, pianoIntermissionBombay RickeyPieces to be announced from the stageKamala Sankaram, voice and accordionDrew Fleming, guitar and vocalsJeff Hudgins, alto saxophone and vocalsNick Cuduahy, bassBrian Alder, percussionBiographiesKamala SankaramPraised as “strikingly original” (NY Times), and a “new voice from whomwe will surely be hearing more” (LA Times), Kamala Sankaram hasreceived commissions from Washington National Opera, Houston GrandOpera, Beth Morrison Projects, the PROTOTYPE Festival, Opera on Tap,Opera Memphis, and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, among others. She isthe recipient of a Jonathan Larson Award from the American TheaterWing, and has received grants from Opera America, the NationalEndowment for the Arts, the Kevin Spacey Foundation, and the MAPFund. Residencies and fellowships include the MacDowell Colony, theWatermill Center, the Civilians, HERE Arts Center, CAP21, ConEdison/Exploring the Metropolis, the Hermitage, and American LyricTheater. As a resident artist at HERE Arts Center, Kamala createdMIRANDA, which was the winner of the New York Innovative TheatreAward for Outstanding Production of a Musical. THUMBPRINT, hersecond opera (written in collaboration with librettist Susan Yankowitz),premiered in the 2014 PROTOTYPE Festival, and was featured on NPR’sWeekend Edition, Agence French Presse, and over 25 media outletsaround the world. THUMBPRINT has since received productions at LAOpera and Opera Ithaca. She is currently working with Opera on Tapand librettist Jerre Dye on THE PARKSVILLE MURDERS, the first operawritten for virtual reality. Episode 1 is now available on SamsungVR. As a performer, Kamala Sankaram has been hailed as “an impassionedsoprano with blazing high notes” (Wall Street Journal). She hasperformed and premiered pieces with Beth Morrison Projects, AnthonyBraxton, and the Wooster Group, among others, and is the leader ofBombay Rickey, an operatic Bollywood surf ensemble whose debut wasnamed Best Eclectic Album by the Independent Music Awards Vox Pop.Bombay Rickey’s opera-cabaret on the life of Yma Sumac premiered inthe 2016 PROTOTYPE Festival and was most recently presented inLondon at Tête-à-Tête Opera’s Cubitt Sessions. Bombay Rickey hasbeen selected for the 2017/18 season’s Mid-Atlantic Arts touring roster,and will release their sophomore album in the spring of 2018. Dr.Sankaram holds a PhD from the New School and is currently a memberof the composition faculty at SUNY Purchase. Bombay RickeyPraised as “a true treat for the adventurous ear” (TimeOut NY), BombayRickey is a five-piece band with a unique sound evocative of 1960smovie soundscapes. The group plays both covers and original musicthat borrow equally from the worlds of surf rock, cumbia,spaghetti-Western, and Bollywood, balanced out with soaring operaticvocals. Since its inception in 2012, Bombay Rickey has become a fixture atBrooklyn mainstay Barbés, as well as having played live on WFMU,opened up for Cambodian psychedelic band Dengue Fever, and havingbeen featured in an ad for Citibank. Bombay Rickey’s debut album, Cinefonia, was named best debut of 2014 by New York Music Daily andreceived the Vox Pop Award for Best Eclectic Album from theInternational Music Awards. Most recently, Bombay Rickey was invitedto create an opera cabaret based on the life of Yma Sumac for theprestigious PROTOTYPE Festival in New York City. The show ran forseven sold-out performances and was hailed as a “rocking musicalshow” by the Wall Street Journal. The band features Kamala Sankaram: vocals, accordion; Drew Fleming:guitar, vocals; and Jeff Hudgins: alto saxophone, vocals; with NickCuduahy: bass; and Brian Adler: percussion. All longtime NY musicians,the five members of Bombay Rickey have done previous work with JohnZorn, Anthony Braxton, Chicha Libre, and Alarm Will Sound, to name afew. The Far ShoreThis life waxes and wanes. It does not last long. The leaf that falls does not return to the branch.But behold, Behold the Ocean of Rebirth. Behold its irresistable tide. Pilot of my soul, Pilot of my soul, swiftly guide my ship. Pilot of my soul. Swiftly guide my ship. Guide my ship to the far shore, the far shore. Text by Meera Bai (trans. anonymous)Eight Phases of LunaPhase 1I'll call him Luna because his eyes are lit with a blue flame. Like the moon. Luna. Yes, his eyes. His. News flash: He's a puppy. He doesn't care what gender his name is. Luna's breed is elusive. He's a proud mutt. Or, better, "breed-inclusive." Part spaniel, beagle, chihuahua, corgi, Possibly appenzeller and ofcourse, dachsyMaybe not so much bred as assembled by epoxy. This little furry being. This little life. This Luna. This Luna. Phase 2Luna sees a leaf. Creeps up to it. Leaps high. Pounces, bounces, Nips it. Flips it into the air. Creeps, Leaps, Pounces, bounces, Nips it, flips it. Again. And again. Oh and again. A dash of fur, A flash of green, In the morning light. That leaf is the most miraculous, Most wondrous, Most astounding thing he's ever seen. He's right. Phase 3The dog run. A new guy here.Who is that?Cute.Hot.Probably crazy, One of the dog people.His eyes are kindNice ass. Wow... it's been awhile.Men are such dogsWith my luck, (s)he's a stalker, commitment challenged, Neo-Nazi, adrunk, another needy child,(Wow, that was bitter.)Oh wait... (s)he smiled.HiHi This is Finley. I'm dog sitting for my sister.Sister, not girlfriend. This is Luna.Luna? But...Don't. Phase 4Luna was not pleased when I moved in. Not at all.He sulked. Scowled. Once even growled.I was the bed-robber, The treat-stealer. The affection poacher.No matter what I did his resentment would not flag.I was undeserving of even a cursory wag.But tonightSuddenly, Without reasonI found a tortured tennis ball Dropped at my feet, With an expectant look.I reached down. Tossed it down the hall...And that's all it took.To paraphrase: Dogs work in mysterious ways. Phase 5He eatsI fret.I doubt.He races.The rent.My job.He barks.My weight.My hair.He naps.How could he say that?What did she mean?He plays.Bills.Taxes.He chases.The news.My hair.He sniffs.I missed my train.I missed my chances.He sleeps.The future.Why? Why?He gets. He gives. He lives. Phase 6Loony-tunes. Is ten years old today. Ten years.He lies in his chair, Blithely unaware.To him, each day is good,No diff'rent from the others,Each day is true,Each day has its adventures.Each day is new.You only need to Yield, Adjust, Lead when you need to,Let others lead when you don't. And trust. We're watching Animal Planet on TV. I think he thinks it's a comedy. Phase 7The world was large But had its bounds when you bounded around making your eveningrounds.Hello to the mailbox, Hello to the tree on the corner. Hello to the deliHello to the woman smoking Outside the bar on the street, Who always greeted you with a treat. Hello to the Pizza Paradise where years ago you found an abandonedslice.Hello to the dog run, The dog run!Then back again from your evening roam and home.Now... Now the world is small.And closing in, your joints stiffen, your breathing is thin. Not much of aroam.Hello to the mailbox, And home. With dreams of the tree the deli the treat. The slice. And the dog run,the dog run. Phase 8They ask nothing of death.No religion makes them beg forgiveness.No egotism makes them seek a legacyWhen it's time they know. And ask for a simple letting go.Meeting, moving in Marriage and now a simple letting go.No sorrow. No grief.I was here.I played.I barked.I chased the most miraculous thing, A leaf.a simple letting go. a simple letting go. Text by Mark Campbell

Kamala Sankaram

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