Artist profile:
South Indian family receives three artist awards for musical performances

Jaya Bala, an award-winning Indian vocalist, says a performance of South Indian, or Carnatic, classical music, usually requires three performers: the vocalist, an instrument-playing musician such as a violinist, and a percussionist.

Just so happens that Jaya has ready access to these complementary performers. Her son, Srinath Balasubramanian, is a percussionist and her daughter-in-law, Sandhya Srinath, is a violinist. All three live in the same extended-family household in Laurel, and all three are 2008 Individual Artist Award (IAA) recipients.

Jaya was also an IAA recipient in 2004. As happy as she was four years ago to receive the award, she said she “was thrilled” this time as she had encouraged Srinath and Sandhya to apply for this year’s awards.

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The three were among the 97 Maryland artists honored by the Maryland State Arts Council June 14. Jaya and her husband, Nathan Bala (pictured), were the family representatives because Srinath and Sandhya had just left on a trip to India.

Srinath received his award for expertise on a mridangam, a double-sided drum often used in Carnatic music. He has played percussion instruments for 16 years. He’s also a software engineer for a Gaithersburg technical communications firm. Sandhya, who is a professional violinist, has been playing for 28 years, since she was a child.

Aside from her two-time IAA selection, Jaya is familiar with the Arts Council. She and Nathan – who has a doctorate in telecommunications engineering – have received grants from the Council to operate their Jayamangala School of Music and Dance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving traditional Indian arts through performances, workshops and teaching.

The school has approximately 200 students who study Carnatic music and dance under the tutelage of Jaya and members of her family. Music students come to Jaya and Nathan’s home, where Jaya and others teach, including Jaya’s 82-year-old mother, Rajalakshmi Krishnan.

Dance students go to the nearby home of Jaya and Nathan’s daughter, Shobha Subramanian. Also an award-winning performer, Shobha was a featured artist at the recent Maryland Traditions event – an annual showcase for master and apprentice artists. (She and her son, Ashwin – her apprentice – presented a classical Indian dance program.)

Two sisters in India

The name of the Jayamangala School is a direct reference to two sisters from an earlier generation of the family – Jayam and Mangalam. The sisters were musical entertainers, teachers and composers during the 1920s and 1930s. They lived in the tropical state of Kerala, located on the southwestern tip of India.

Though the two sisters sang in concerts together, Jayam – Jaya’s grandmother – was the more natural performer and her sister Mangalam was the motivator, Nathan says. Nathan has first-hand knowledge of the relationship. Mangalam was his mother.

Nathan observes a similar dynamic in place today within his family. Well grounded in the construct of Carnatic music, he is the manager for the performers in his family. He says he has always encouraged Jaya, their children and grandchildren, and other family members “to take challenges, learn new songs, develop creativity and perform on stage wherever the opportunity arises.”

Jaya started performing at the age of 16. She was a graded artist for All India Radio – a nationwide broadcasting network – and she sang in concerts throughout India. She also performed as the lead vocalist with Indian orchestras at international dance festivals in France, Bulgaria, Singapore and Malaysia.

Most of the songs that Jaya sings have devotional elements tied to Hindu gods and goddesses. “Some songs are romantic, some patriotic and some songs describe the beauty of nature,” says Nathan.

Improvisation like jazz

Jaya also mentions that improvisation is a significant part of Carnatic music, much like jazz. A vocalist “has the freedom to explore up and down (a song’s melodic) notes ‘on the fly,’ creating a very pleasant effect,” Nathan adds. The same is true for the instrumentalists in a Carnatic concert – the concerts can last for hours.

After Jaya and Nathan moved their family to the U.S. in 1990, she became interested in teaching and researching Carnatic music. She also expanded her interests to composing music and conducting Carnatic orchestras.

In 2004, she was a driving force behind the Music Transcends international conference on Carnatic music held in Prince George’s County. She had composed music for the event, then performed and conducted portions of the musical presentations. About two dozen Indian and western musicians joined together for the performances.

In 2007, Jaya directed a musical tribute to peace at The Kennedy Center on the occasion of the 25-year anniversary of Sri Sri Ravi Shanker’s Art of Living Foundation – an international nonprofit that promotes educational and humanitarian causes. Members of Jaya and Nathan’s family – as is their custom – performed together at this concert.

The family also performed at the Prince George’s County Correctional Center in 2006. Nathan hopes to arrange for the family to stage concerts at other prison facilities. “We are convinced that music is an effective medium to spread peace in the world,” he says.