A royal' string set!

South Indian violinist Dr Jyotsna Srikanth is on cloud nine. And justifiably so, as this Bengaluru hudugi is making waves world over – through her soulful melody.  Her tryst with the violin dates back to the age of six at a Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan's gig, which had a lasting impact on her and her decision to pursue music. Last year, Jyotsna was invited by Her Majesty the Queen of England during the celebration of the 70th year of Indian independence at the Buckingham Palace. Who knew, luck would strike her again This year,  Jyotsna was invited to perform at the Buckingham Palace for a specially commissioned music in a very special setting for the Formal Opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting on April 19.  In a candid chat, she tells us more... 

“I represented India along with five other violinists of different genres from five different continents from other Commonwealth countries to perform a specially commissioned music Shepherds Hey, it was a dream come true,”  she shares. Speaking about the music she played, Jyotsna enthuses, “Percy Grainger was an Australian composer who came to Britain in the early 1900 and enthusiastically collected English folk music. He heard Shepherds Hey performed by Morris Dancers in Oxfordshire,  and loved its exuberance and physicality and included his instrumental arrangement in an edition of the National Songbook that was printed in London and sent to all corners of the Commonwealth. It took on a life of its own in Australian and Canadian folk music and evolved further as a tune - we  took it one stage further building on its Commonwealth heritage for this performance.”

Speaking about the biggest takeaway from the event, Jyotsna believes performing in front of renowned names that appreciate world music gave her a true high. “It was a great experience to perform in front of such dignitaries. I was literally stoked when our PM Narendra Modi ji appreciated us from the stage. Apart from the above mentioned three dignitaries; there were other dignitaries, the heads of 53 Commonwealth countries, The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Boris Johnson The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, England and others. These guests are not just illustrious names, but true patrons of music and that's why the whole experience was phenomenally motivating and enriching.”

Her love for music knows no boundaries, and she directly attributes it to her upbringing and the fact that an innate love for music loves in the family.  “My mother, Rathna Srikantiah was my first Guru. I began performing to some extent by the age of seven and started to play and  improvise on the violin. I could improvise for 15 minutes on my own at any given scale. Also,  I was made to listen to many Indian music concerts. During summer time, we had the Ramanavami music festival and my mother saw that I would attend at least 25 concerts. Even during school time daily practice of two hours and attending concerts during the week ends were a must. But I liked all this as my passion for music had already begun. During summer holidays, I was made to practice for five to six hours. My mother had her own way of making me memorise the compositions. In Indian music, we perform the compositions by memory. So my mother had daily targets for me. If I memorised a composition I would get an icecream or some bakery product to munch before evening play! So I used to memorise all the compositions.”

This doctor, who fought against odds to get to pursuing music, atributes much of her success to her close ones. “My husband and mother support me a lot. I look forward to performing more Indian classical and Jazz music and  collaborate with different musicians. I believe that, when good musicians of different genres meet, great music can be produced," she concludes.