Vrinda Mundkur

Hindustani classical vocalist, Devotional singer, Singer (Natya Sangeet)

Biography

Vrinda Mundkur hails from a family with a deep rooted interest and pursuit of art. Vrinda has been initiated into Hindustani Music by her mother Smt Aruna Rao, herself an artist par excellence in the field of music, painting and literature. Vrinda has the benefit of her mother's valuable guidance and inspiration till this day.

From childhood Vrinda had a flair for the creative arts. Along with music she pursued Bharata Natyam, a classical dance form for eight years under the rigorous training of Acharya Parvati Kumar, a renowned Guru. However, later Vrinda devoted herself to the pursuit of Hindustani Classical music which became her major field of interest and expression. This was a turning point in her career.

Vrinda's music reflects all that is beautiful and sublime. She performs the styles of Khayal, Thumri, Dadra, Tarana and Bhajan with ease and dexterity. She brings out the true mood and essence of the Raga with her rich and resonant voice. Her keen aesthetic sense coupled with a mellifluous voice and a charming stage presence creates an instant rapport and impact on appreciative audiences. It is an enriching and elevating experience to hear her unfold the Raga effortlessly and improvise on it with accurate swara projection, a clear ringing voice and a good command over Tala and Laya. Vrinda has gained recognition as a gifted vocalist by critics and connoisseurs alike.

Videos Show all videos

Vrinda Mundkur presents thumri in Raaga Gaara, accompanied on tabla by Pramod Hattangady

Vrinda Mundkur presents Bandish in Raag Hameer

Vrinda Mundkur presents Bandish in Raag Gaud Malhar

Photos Show all photos

Surmani Vrinda Mundkur

Vrinda with her mother Smt. Aruna Rao

Vrinda Mundkur

Surmani Vrinda Mundkur

Hindustani Classical Concert by Vrinda Mundkur

Vrinda Mundkur performing in concert at Rajkot

Career

Vrinda Mundkur is a graded artist of All India Radio and Television. She is on the panel of artists of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, New Delhi . In the role of a cultural delegate, she has given concerts and lecture demonstrations in Zurich , Geneva , London and Holland . She has completed successful concert tours of the USA and UK in 1994, 1996 and 1999. She has given significant performances since 1980 at various prestigious concert halls in India and abroad. To name a few; The Nehru Centre, Mumbai and London . The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai and London . The National Centre of Performing Arts, Mumbai. The Berlin Festival of Indian Art at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai. SPIC-MACAY and Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal. House of Russian Culture, Alliance Francaise, and the Indo-Swiss Society, Mumbai The Pune Festival Prestigious music concerts in Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Jaipur, Bhopal , Hyderabad and Bangalore and several other cities. Vrinda has sung for the overseas Indian Conference, ‘India Calling ’ , organised by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Vrinda has rendered concerts on social themes in Hindustani Classical Music such as ‘Saans Nanad Mori ‘ and ‘ Prateeksha‘(Shringar Rasa) , to name a few. Rasa (mood) Theme: Vrinda has devised four types of concerts and presented them in London namely: 1.Nav Rasa – Presentation of various Ragas in different moods or Rasas as Shringara, Karuna or Viraha, Shanth, Veer and Bhakti. Ashta Prahara – The eight phases of the day and the mood of the environment represented by various Ragas. Ritu Chakra – The four seasons, Basant, Varsha, Grishma and Sharad symbolised in Ragas in which the essence of their moods is captured and decorated. 2.Ashta Nayika – Raga based presentation of the eight different moods of the heroines or the protagonists projected in the bandishes. This theme is age old and finds mention in the Bharata Natya Shastra (3 rd cent – 5 th cent AD) Lecture Demonstrations: She has given lecture demonstrations at the Ananthacharya Indological Society of India , Mumbai, on various aspects of Hindustani Classical Music such as its history, evolution, aesthetics and its relation to the regional folk music of India. She has given lecture-demonstrations at the Indian Music Society, St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, especially on the theme of Malhar – rain songs- seasonal ragas in Hindustani Classical Music. Her lecture demonstration organized by the Kanara Saraswat Association titled “Demystification of Music & Identification of Ragas” was highly enlightening and very well received by the audience. In another highly appreciated workshop called “Swar Sandhya” held for the Larsen & Toubro corporate group for the benefit of their employees, Vrinda highlighted the role of music in contributing to a better understanding of the Self and Mind thereby improving Creativity and Self-expression in the workplace. She took her audience through a journey of morning to midnight ragas to facilitate self-expression and exploration of one’s creativity through media such as music.

Programs

Hindustani Classical Concert by Vrinda Mundkur

Hindustani classical vocal concert (Shastriya Gayan) of Kirana gharana by Surmani Vrinda Mundkur

Awards & Achievements

* She is also featured on the website of the Agra gharana www.agragharana.org.

* Her music has been recorded for ‘Antara ’ , an interactive guide to Indian Classical Music, distributed by Times Multimedia.

* She has recorded fifty Raga Bandishes for the archives of the Samvad Foundation, Mumbai , an institution for the preservation and promotion of Hindustani Classical Music,funded by the Ford Foundation of USA.

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