What the members say
We asked some of our current members about their experience of being in Samyo, here’s what they said!
Raam Jaganathan, veena player & Orchestra Leader (2012-15)
What is it like to be a part of Samyo?
I feel it is a great privilege and fantastic opportunity to be part of the UK’s premier Indian Music Youth orchestra! It’s great to be part of an orchestra funded by Arts Council England and it’s pretty cool to walk around saying you are part of Britain’s National Youth Orchestra for Indian Music!
In what ways do you feel Samyo is contributing to your development as a young musician?
I think Samyo is helping greatly with my development as a young musician. There are so many different instruments and so many different styles in the orchestra and its wonderful to be learning about them all. It improves my knowledge as well as my musical skills. Since joining Samyo, I have improved to be performing far more regularly than I did before I joined. I’m sure Samyo will turn me into a young professional artist with enough ability to perform worldwide.
How do you feel Samyo is preparing you for your future endeavours, be they within the realm of music on an amateur/professional level or in other fields?
Samyo is preparing me well for my future endeavours. I have learnt a lot about modern and contemporary music as well as Hindustani music so it will help me in semi-classical performances as well as in collaborations with Hindustani and Western artists, something I hope to do! Also, being part of Samyo has fuelled my desire to perform in major venues across the world as a solo artist as well as part of Tarang (the senior version of Samyo). I think the skills I learn with the orchestra will be valuable and extremely helpful in my journey in Carnatic Music as a Veena player.
What do you feel are the benefits of being in Samyo?
Sitting here right now feels like a living dream. This time 2 years ago, I never would have imagined everything Samyo has given me. Following my teachers permanent departure from London, I started training under a Veena Teacher based in Chennai. Despite being the best teacher, for my musical hunger, this wasn’t enough. I used to sit at home, for hours on end watch old concerts of Lalgudi Jayaraman, Flute Shashank, Patri Satish Kumar and of course my idol Jayanthi Kumaresh. I felt it was a privilege being able to watch their concerts online. Fast forward a few years and I have met and am very close to artists of such calibre if not greater. Being able to live for a week and learn from the likes of Lalgudi Krishnan is nothing short of a miracle in my eyes, and the experience we as musicians live through at Music India is indescribable. I am today able to relive my musical aspirations I once felt were impossible. Moreover, the opportunity of making amazing friends, practising with those of far better talent than yourself, and being able to have the chance to master the the skills of concentration, patience and teamwork through working with orchestra is an invaluable asset which cannot be found no matter where you try. These skills have significantly aided my progress in school as well as my self confidence, something which proves to be priceless in the real world. I am sure when I enter the competitive world, the skills I have acquired from training with Samyo will give me a huge advantage.
Naviena Selvarajah, vocalist (2012-14)
What is it like to be a part of Samyo?
Samyo is definitely an interesting ensemble. It’s great to be surrounded by fun, like minded musicians. The congregation of Carnatic and Hindustani music is specifically plausible – we are led by conductors who specialise in either styles, thus we are taught a diverse range of compositions.
In what ways do you feel Samyo is contributing to your development as a young musician?
Having only joined in March 2012, I already feel that Samyo has fuelled my development as a young musician in many ways. It has provided me with an ensemble of new, inspiring faces to work with and learn from. My most memorable ‘Samyo experience’ yet was the Music India Summer Retreat 2012 – 10 intense days of making music with some of India’s top classical artists. Whilst the mornings consisted of lectures and either group or one to one sessions with selective tutors, the evenings offered us the chance to watch our tutors become the renown performers that they are. Personally, the Summer Retreat certainly left me enlightened to the gaps in my own knowledge. Through a number of performance opportunities over the year, Samyo has allowed me to understand and appreciate the act of performing as an art itself.
Musicianship is acquired through individual commitment and effort. The determination and discipline needed to do so, are skills that I will be able to benefit from at anytime in my life.