About Me
Shankar Ramani
I am a vocalist and exponent of the Indian Classical (Carnatic) style of music. Born in Chennai, India, I moved to the United States in 2004 to pursue a career as a Director in a renowned IT company, but am now proud to call New Jersey my home.
My journey in music began at the age of five, when I performed a popular film score for an appreciative local East Indian audience. I was hooked. I understood, even at this young age, the intense power and emotional resonance of music, and the joy and fulfillment of communicating and connecting with other human beings through music.
I performed my first concert in Chennai in 1995, and have since performed concerts all across the globe. My vocal style is undiluted classicism, true to the authentic South Indian Classical (Carnatic) musical tradition. At the core of my renderings is Bhakti (devotion), a deep, innate sense of spirituality, from the first note to the last. I enjoy the challenge of effortlessly rendering complex music. My presentation style is not sensational. It does not seek to grab the listener's attention through gimmicks, or through dramatic facial expressions and gestures.
My Journey to Professional Performance
I learned the Carnatic Style of music under Shri O.S. Thiyagarajan, one of the top-ranked musicians on the professional Carnatic music circuit today. I was fortunate to have experienced my spiritual awakening more than 15 years ago through the education I received from this renowned spiritual guru and through a proven and established system of meditation. I am honored to have been acknowledged by Shri OST as his leading disciple.
For 12 years, I accompanied Shri OST to concerts all over the world, observing his performances, absorbing his clean, pure, traditional style of rendering music and flawless alignment to notes (shruti). It was an invaluable experience. Gradually, I developed my own style of singing and interpretation, modeling his purity in rendering notes, developing proficiency in rhythm (laya), and eventually composing and singing my own Ragam Thanam Pallavis — in both rare ragas and complex talas.
I was awarded Maharajapuram Santhanam Award for best vocalist by Shri Krishna Gana Sabha in 1997.
How I Connect Music to Spiritual Awakening
When performing concerts, ragas and compositions, I combine and connect my musical skills with deep insights into spiritual enlightenment — an endeavor that is unique in my community.
My performances are designed to create an atmosphere of complete tranquility, and provide a calming, soothing experience for audiences. In fact, in a recent concert tour of India, one listener remarked that his blood pressure actually dropped several points during my concert!
As I developed my musical talent over the years, I came to understand that certain tunes and ragas correspond with specific spiritual energy centers and learned the technique of providing energy awakening through music. (For a complete guide to energy centers, visit the Music and Spirituality section.)
I have performed by invitation in various programs relating to music and meditation, spiritual awakening or Self-Realization through music. Through musical prowess, knowledge and my own experience of spiritual awakening I can help provide Self-Realization to any audience, regardless of whether they're musically-inclined or music-loving.
My journey in music began at the age of five, when I performed a popular film score for an appreciative local East Indian audience. I was hooked. I understood, even at this young age, the intense power and emotional resonance of music, and the joy and fulfillment of communicating and connecting with other human beings through music.
I performed my first concert in Chennai in 1995, and have since performed concerts all across the globe. My vocal style is undiluted classicism, true to the authentic South Indian Classical (Carnatic) musical tradition. At the core of my renderings is Bhakti (devotion), a deep, innate sense of spirituality, from the first note to the last. I enjoy the challenge of effortlessly rendering complex music. My presentation style is not sensational. It does not seek to grab the listener's attention through gimmicks, or through dramatic facial expressions and gestures.
My Journey to Professional Performance
I learned the Carnatic Style of music under Shri O.S. Thiyagarajan, one of the top-ranked musicians on the professional Carnatic music circuit today. I was fortunate to have experienced my spiritual awakening more than 15 years ago through the education I received from this renowned spiritual guru and through a proven and established system of meditation. I am honored to have been acknowledged by Shri OST as his leading disciple.
For 12 years, I accompanied Shri OST to concerts all over the world, observing his performances, absorbing his clean, pure, traditional style of rendering music and flawless alignment to notes (shruti). It was an invaluable experience. Gradually, I developed my own style of singing and interpretation, modeling his purity in rendering notes, developing proficiency in rhythm (laya), and eventually composing and singing my own Ragam Thanam Pallavis — in both rare ragas and complex talas.
I was awarded Maharajapuram Santhanam Award for best vocalist by Shri Krishna Gana Sabha in 1997.
How I Connect Music to Spiritual Awakening
When performing concerts, ragas and compositions, I combine and connect my musical skills with deep insights into spiritual enlightenment — an endeavor that is unique in my community.
My performances are designed to create an atmosphere of complete tranquility, and provide a calming, soothing experience for audiences. In fact, in a recent concert tour of India, one listener remarked that his blood pressure actually dropped several points during my concert!
As I developed my musical talent over the years, I came to understand that certain tunes and ragas correspond with specific spiritual energy centers and learned the technique of providing energy awakening through music. (For a complete guide to energy centers, visit the Music and Spirituality section.)
I have performed by invitation in various programs relating to music and meditation, spiritual awakening or Self-Realization through music. Through musical prowess, knowledge and my own experience of spiritual awakening I can help provide Self-Realization to any audience, regardless of whether they're musically-inclined or music-loving.
