<html><head></head><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif;font-size:13px"><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429">The "Around the World" Music Series presents</div><div class="" dir="ltr" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429">~~~ <i class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453481340543_15529">THE MYSTIQUE OF THE INDIAN VEENA</i> ~~~</div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429">featuring veena player <b class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453481340543_16231">Dr. Shiva Sastry</b></div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429">with mridangam accompaniment by <b class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453481340543_16234">Suraj Srinivasan</b></div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429">8:00 p.m., Saturday, February 6, 2016</div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429">North Water Street Gallery </div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429">300 N. Water Street, Suite H</div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429">Kent, Ohio</div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429">$10 suggested donation (or pay what you can)</div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429">preceded by 7:30 p.m. meet-and-greet featuring light Indian food and drinks (sparkling water and fruit juices)</div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429"><br clear="none" class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2484"></div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429">An evening of music from one of the world's great classical traditions: the Carnatic music of South India, performed on the veena by Dr. <b class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453481340543_16248">Shiva Sastry</b>, a member of the Engineering faculty at the University of Akron. Dr. Sastry will present pieces in a wide variety of styles, providing engaging explanations of the music and instruments along the way.<br clear="none" class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453481340543_25680"></div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429"><br clear="none" class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2492"></div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429">Mridangam (barrel drum) accompaniment willl be provided by <b class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_3084">Suraj Srinivasan</b> of Strongsville, Ohio.</div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429"><br clear="none" class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2496"></div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429">An instrument of ancient origin, the veena is a plucked lute about four feet in length with seven steel strings, 24 frets, and a soundbox that is carved out of the trunk of a jackfruit tree. Rarely heard in North America, it is not as well known as the sitar, its North Indian counterpart. In the culture of India, however, the veena holds the special significance of representing all music, being the instrument used by Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of music and the arts.</div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429"><br clear="none" class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2500"></div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429">Dr. Shivakumar Sastry is an accomplished veena player trained in the Mysore School. Originally from Bangalore, in the Karnataka state of South India, he has lived in the U.S. for over two decades. He studied under Vidwan H. S. Krishnamoorthy and Vidwan T. K. Govinda Rao, and has given successful and well-received recitals in several U.S. states as well as in India. Dr. Sastry is member of the faculty in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Akron.</div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429"><br clear="none" class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2504"></div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429">Suraj Srinivasan began learning mridangam from his mother, Sujatha Srinivasan, at the age of six, and has been receiving advanced training from his guru, Vinod Seetharaman of Michigan, since 2010. He has accompanied several young artists at iCarnatic’s music festivals in Detroit and Chicago, and participated in their Tala Vadya Kutcheris in 2014 and 2015. He has also performed at several concerts and cultural events in Cleveland and Columbus. The winner of several prizes at the Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival, Suraj is currently a sophomore at Strongsville High School.</div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429"><br clear="none" class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2508"></div><div class="" dir="ltr" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429">Video showing the veena and mridangam:<br clear="none" class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453481340543_16352"><a rel="nofollow" shape="rect" class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453481340543_16344" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yv4ea1pFp4" style="color: rgb(25, 106, 212);">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yv4ea1pFp4</a><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yqtfd24178"><br clear="none" class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453481340543_67175"></div></div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yqtfd10754"><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429">Facebook event page:<br clear="none" class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453481340543_25708"></div><div class="" dir="ltr" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429"><a rel="nofollow" shape="rect" class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2777" target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1078248695568986/" style="color: rgb(25, 106, 212);">https://www.facebook.com/events/1078248695568986/</a><br clear="none" class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453481340543_16269"></div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429"><br clear="none" class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453481340543_16272"></div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429">* * * * *</div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429"><br clear="none" class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2512"></div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429">The North Water Street Gallery is conveniently located just a block north of the intersection of Main and Water Streets in Kent, Ohio, with free street parking on both sides of the street. Seating is limited, so arrive early for the best seats.</div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429"><br clear="none" class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2516"></div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429">----------------</div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429"><br clear="none" class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2520"></div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429">The "Around the World" Music Series is a new concert series presenting outstanding musicians from diverse cultures in an intimate setting.</div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429"><br clear="none" class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2524"></div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429">Concerts are held approximately every other month in the new theater space of the North Water Street Gallery, conveniently located in downtown Kent, Ohio.</div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429"><br clear="none" class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2528"></div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429">The series is an initiative of Standing Rock Cultural Arts, and is curated by ethnomusicologist David Badagnani.</div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429"><br clear="none" class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2532"></div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429">Standing Rock Cultural Arts Facebook page:</div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429"><a rel="nofollow" shape="rect" class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2749" target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/SRCAKent" style="color: rgb(25, 106, 212);">https://www.facebook.com/SRCAKent</a><br clear="none" class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453481340543_16295"></div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429"><br clear="none" class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2537"></div><div class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429">Standing Rock Cultural Arts official site:</div><div class="" dir="ltr" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2429"><a rel="nofollow" shape="rect" class="" id="yiv6537743622yui_3_16_0_1_1453469894464_2615" target="_blank" href="http://www.standingrock.net/" style="color: rgb(25, 106, 212);">http://www.standingrock.net/</a></div></div></div></body></html>