As a reminder, this competition is to encourage students and amateur performers of Hindustani Classical Music in North America (US and Canada), to showcase their sadhana, talent and accomplishment. Our distinguished judges are Performing Artists from India.
Categories: Classical Vocal (Khayal, Dhrupad, Thumri/Dadra, Tappa, etc.), Classical Instrumental (Sitar, Sarod, Harmonium, Violin, etc.) and Classical Rhythm (Tabla, Pakhavaj, etc.), and under 3 age groups: Juniors (5-12 years), Youth (13-18 years), Adults (19+ years).
Final round details:
As a Final Round participant, you will perform live on Zoom in front of our esteemed judges, who will connect from India.
Vocal Round Judges: Smt. Shashwati Mandal and Shri Dhananjay Hegde, both of the Gwalior Gharana.
Instrumental/Rhythm Round Judges: Smt. Anupama Bhagwat (Sitar)and Shri Ramdas Palsule (Tabla)
The session will also be streamed live on Ragamala’s Facebook Page.
We will publish the participant order a few days before the Final round so you can be ready before your performance begins. Make sure to look for additional 'day of' instructions via email from the Raga Sadhana team, in the week prior.
When / Where:
Hindustani Vocals: Aug 22, 6 PM PST - 9:30 PM PST.
Join Zoom Meeting at 5:45 PM PST to see the final performance sequence and get acclimatized with the Zoom session.
The Zoom link will be emailed to you from the Raga Sadhana team in advance.
Instrumental and Rhythm: Aug 29, 5 PM PST - 9:30 PM PST.
Join Zoom Meeting at 5:15 PM PST to see the final performance sequence and get acclimatized with the Zoom session.
The Zoom link will be emailed to you from the Raga Sadhana team in advance.
What to perform:
Please come prepared with a sharply timed performance (3 min for Juniors, 5 min for Youth, 5 min for Adults) of your best piece. You are welcome to repeat/extend the same piece you submitted for the Screening Round.
Respectful Engagement:
Please arrive early and make sure you are fully set up in time for the Competition. Important announcements will be made in the beginning, and may not be repeated in the interest of time. *Rename yourself to <First Name, Last Name - Raga Name>. Eg., Bhimsen Joshi - Multani*
When you are performing, make sure your accompaniment is audible (especially the taal, if you are singing or playing an instrument) so the judges get assess you for you laya
Please stay muted unless you are performing. Minimize movement on the video screen, to avoid distraction for others.
Please keep an eye on the chat window for real-time updates and adjustments to the schedule. We will be cue-ing next ~5 participants here.
When the video control is passed on to you, accept it, and start performing. No announcements are necessary.
*Please strictly adhere to the time limit.* You are welcome to set up a local timer at your end to help you wind down your presentation comfortably within the allotted time. The video control will pass to the next participant, after a grace period of 15 secs.
The judges will tally scores, give concluding remarks, and announce the prizes at the end of the session.
How to prepare for the Final Round:
You can perform with either live accompaniments (Tabla or Tanpura only) or use software such as iTablaPro. Live accompaniment should be fully visible on the screen and not render any cues/help beyond accompaniment.
Make sure your sound (vocal or instrumental) is in sync and balanced with that coming from your accompaniments (live instrument or software like iTablaPro) during your performance.
Based on our experience, a stationary mic helps for live streaming but it is not mandatory.
Make sure that your laptop mic and camera are working properly.
Make sure the laptop is connected to a power source or is fully charged to make sure the computer has enough charge during the performance
We suggest having the set up as close to the wireless modem/router as possible if you are using WiFi.
Have a simple, plain background. Overcrowded background draws attention away from the performer and is not pleasant for the viewer's eyes.
When you are not performing, make sure to mute your mic to avoid unintended interruptions to the performer. Use your performance sequence sheet (to be published on this page below) to be ready before your performance.
Finally, don’t forget to stay relaxed and enjoy the competition. The goal of Raga Sadhana is to help you deepen your practice and get feedback from the judges. The outcome of the final round is just a step towards your life-long learning of music.
Zoom audio settings for optimal performance
In Zoom, please go to Audio Settings.
Then go to Advanced Settings. Change the setting ‘Suppress Persistent Background Noise’ to ‘Disable’. Do the same for the setting ‘Suppress Intermittent Background Noise’.
Recommended self-served rehearsals:
We highly recommend that you rehearse your performance by creating your own Zoom session from the same laptop you will be doing for the live session. And follow all the instructions above during your rehearsal. You can record your rehearsal-session so you can listen to it and adjust any settings accordingly. Additionally, you can ask a parent or a friend to listen to your session and give feedback on your video/audio settings. Make sure you rehearse your performance fits within the allocated duration for your category.
Participant sequence for the finals on August 29
Rhythm category
1 Sthuthi Jagalur Junior
2 Alap Kotasthane Junior
3 Arvind Satyavolu Junior
4 Savir Divatia Junior
5 Arnav Saraf Junior
6 Dhruv Saini Junior
7 Vibhor Purohit Junior
8 Anirudh Rao Youth
9 Aryaman Ranjan Youth
10 Rishikesh Abhay Phadnis Youth
11 Anish Mandyam Youth
12 Atharva Limaye Youth
13 Charith Sunku Youth
14 Gopal Pal Youth
15 Govind Pal Youth
16 Ishaan Shete Youth
17 Rishi Hoskote Youth
18 Sharvani Kondamudi Youth
19 Shashank Sreepathi Youth
20 Manoj Deshpande Adult
21 Pavan Kanekal Adult
Instrumental category
Approximate start: 7:35 PM PST
22 Aditya Limaye Junior
23 Akanksha Ayyadevara Junior
24 Annirudh Raman Junior
25 Anushka Pakhare Junior
26 ARYA MAHABAL BHAT Junior
27 Avani Bhagwat Junior
28 Avni Murarka Junior
29 Chinmay Vinodh Junior
30 Dhruv Saini Junior
31 Janhavi Balasubramanian Junior
32 Kaira Soin Junior
33 Kashyapi Deshpande Junior
34 Lasyapriya Sreepathi Junior
35 Nandini Chavan Junior
36 Ria Mahajan Junior
37 Sharannya Shilamkar Junior
38 Shruti Naik Junior
39 Swarith Patpi Junior
40 Tanushi Kuchangi Junior
41 Tara Saini Junior
42 Yashasvi Mettu Junior
Approximate start: 9:25 PM PST
43 Achintya Agrawal Youth
44 Anoushka Ayyadevara Youth
45 ARCHIT BHUJANG Youth
46 Arya Thompson Youth
47 Liya Sebastian Youth
48 Ovi Bhagwat Youth
49 Raghu Ramamurthy Youth
50 Usha Roshini Kalla Youth
51 Vrinda Satyavolu Youth
52 Eric Rosko Adult
53 Parameswaran Ramanathan Adult
54 Prakash Vaidyanathan Adult
55 Priti Mahajan Adult
56 RANDY HOLLINGER Adult
57 Ravishankar Madhu Adult
FAQ
What accompaniments am I allowed?
You can perform with live accompaniment (Tabla or Tanpura only) or with a software like iTablaPro. Live accompaniment should be fully visible on the screen and not render any cues/help beyond accompaniment.
How will I be judged?
You will perform live before the judges. Your performance will be judged across the following criteria: Sur, Taal, Raag, Presentation.
If I have a technical difficulty during the performance will I get another chance?
If the judges were not able to see or hear you clearly, you might be asked to perform again at the end of your category. However, Ragamala reserves the right to decide if we really need a repeat performance.
How might I get disqualified?
If you ignore the buzzer and continue to perform, if you have external help or inputs during your performance, if your presentation is not classical music - these may be grounds for disqualification.
How can I make sure I participate respectfully?
By muting your mic before/after your performance, and by being fully ready to perform when it’s your time. Watch for the Judges’ feedback on the Zoom chat window after your performance.
How can my friends and family watch Raga Sadhana?
The Zoom links are for participants only. Given Zoom session limits (100), we invite your family and friends to watch and enjoy the live stream on Ragamala’s Facebook Page.
When will the winners be announced?
We will announce the results at the end of the same Zoom session, shortly after all performances have concluded, and judges have had a chance to discuss and tally the scores.
Other questions?
Please write to us at ragasadhana@ragamala.org. We will be happy to assist you.