Kala Ramnath is an India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n violin

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

ist. She belongs to the Mewati gharana

Mewati Gharana

The Mewati Gharana is a stylized musical family-hood of Hindustani classical music founded in the late 19th century by Utd. Ghagge Nazir Khan of Jodhpur. An offshoot of the Gwalior Gharana, the Mewati Gharana acquired its name after the region from which its founding exponents hailed: the Mewar...

. She was awarded the Jasraj award in 1999.

Early life

Kala Ramnath was born in Chennai

Chennai

Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, into a family of prodigious musical talent, which has given Indian music such violin legends as T.N. Krishnan and N. Rajam

N. Rajam

-Early life:N. Rajam was born in Chennai in a musical family to Vidwan A. Narayana Iyer. Her brother is violinist T. N. Krishnan. Rajam started her initial training in carnatic music under her father...

.

She began playing the violin at three under the tutelage of her grandfather, Vidwan Narayan Iyer, and her aunt Dr. N. Rajam. For fifteen years she studied with the Mewati vocal maestro, Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj

Pandit Jasraj

Pandit Jasraj is an Indian classical vocalist. He is the foremost exponent of the Mewati Gharana of Hindustani classical music.-Early life:Jasraj was born in Hisar, Haryana in an orthodox brahmin family to Pandit Motiramji, a classical exponent. His family is well known for singing in the Mewati...

. This has brought a rare vocal emotionalism to her art.

Her violin playing is characterized by an immaculate bowing and fingering technique, command over laya, richness and clarity in sur. She has revolutionized the technique of playing the violin by taking this instrument so close to vocal music that today her violin is called The Singing Violin.

Performing career

Kala Ramnath has performed worldwide, and in international festivals internationally.

She has also been experimenting with several types of genres of music - both within the traditions of Indian Classical music and also crossovers to other types of music.

She, along with the Bay area Saxophonist George Brooks, has a band called Global Conversation performing raga influenced jazz and jazz inflected raga.

Hollywood films

Kala also has been involved in the background score of the Hollywood film Blood Diamond

Blood Diamond (film)

Blood Diamond is a 2006 political thriller film co-produced and directed by Edward Zwick and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou...

working with composers like James Newton Howard and George Acogny.

Discography

• Samaya
• Touching Air
• Divine Wheel
• Nectar
• Kala
• Twilight Strings
• Kala Ramnath
• Young Masters
• Dharohar
• Raga & Rhythm
• Yashila

• Luminous
• Ragamala
• Ekta
• Samvad
• Passage Through Dawn
• Gifted Violinist
• Nishigandha
• Singing Violin

External links

• http://www.kalaramnath.com/
• [ AllMusic.com]