A graduate of Columbia University,  Priya Purushothaman is a part of the new international vanguard of young and diverse Hindustani vocalists. She will present a concert under the auspices of MITHAS on Sep. 9, 2017 at the Wong Auditorium. She will be accompanied by Suryaksha Deshpande on Tabla and Neelesh Nadkarni on Harmonium.

Priya Purushothaman is a part of the new international vanguard of young and diverse Hindustani vocalists. Manjari Sinha states in the Delhi newspaper Jansatta, “The emergence of such tuneful phenomena as Priya Purushothaman reassures us about the next generation of classical vocalists.”

Priya is a disciple of Bangalore-based vocalist Smt Aditi Kaikini Upadhya. She has had the rare privilege of training in the gurukul style. Her tutelage was supplemented with advanced training from the late stalwart musician and scholar, Pandit Dinkar Kaikini, in Mumbai, and she continues to receive guidance from his wife, noted vocalist and Guru Smt Shashikala Kaikini.  She has documented her extensive interactions with Pandit Kaikini in her book, “Living Music: Conversations with Pandit Dinkar Kaikini,” published by Popular Prakashan in January 2011.

Priya has performed at noted venues in India, Europe and the United States. In India, she has been featured at: the National Centre for Performing Arts, Mumbai; Kalakshetra, Chennai; Jaganmohan Palace Auditorium, Mysore; Devnandan Ubhayker Yuva Sangeet Utsav, Bangalore; India International Centre, Delhi, among many others. In the United States she has performed for the Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert Series; Sangati Center, San Francisco; Seattle Indian Music Academy; and the Chhandayan Center for Indian Music, New York, to name a few.

Before studying Hindustani Raagsangeet, Priya trained extensively in both Carnatic vocal music and Western classical violin for thirteen years, giving her a diverse and strong musical foundation. Utilizing her training in all these  forms of music, she is committed to increasing musical awareness through her educational efforts. She teaches a select group of private students, and has conducted workshops and lecture demonstrations at Codarts, Rotterdam; Utrecht Conservatory; Manipal University and the Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts in India. She has also gained valuable experience working in the educational wing of Carnegie Hall, NY, where she was the coordinator for the Professional Training Workshops program.

Priya graduated from Columbia University, New York, with a BA degree in Economics, Philosophy, and Creative Writing. She is based out of both Mumbai and Bangalore.