LAYYASAARAM CHAMBER CONCERT
An Evening of Music at Home
Friday, September 25, 2026 · 7 PM · Apple Valley, Minnesota
Some of the most memorable Carnatic concerts don't happen in a hall. They happen in someone's home, with the artists a few feet away and the listeners close enough to catch every glance between the musicians. On Friday evening, September 25, about 60 rasikas gathered at the Apple Valley home of Preethi and Prashant for exactly that kind of evening.
The Curtain Raiser
The evening opened with a mini-concert by young vocalist Prisha Prashanth, accompanied on the mridangam by Shradhha Devaraju. It was a joy to see the next generation of Twin Cities musicians set the tone for the night, and the audience gave them a warm welcome.
The Main Concert
The main concert brought together a quartet in the true chamber tradition:
| Abilash Giriprasad | Vocal |
| B. Ananthakrishnan | Violin |
| Sriram Iyer | Mridangam |
| Balaji Chandran | Ghatam |
Abilash Giriprasad is a Chennai-based vocalist and an 'A' grade artist of All India Radio. He trained under Vidwan A. S. Murali at Kalakshetra and under Vidwan Srimushnam Raja Rao, and has performed across India, North America, Europe and Africa. B. Ananthakrishnan comes from a family of violinists: he is the grandson of the late violin vidwan V. K. Venkata Ramanujam Iyengar and the son of Dr. V. Balaji, and he has received the Music Academy's award for best sub-senior violinist.
In a small room, every phrase of the vocal and violin carried, and the mridangam and ghatam could converse with the melody instead of competing with an auditorium. That closeness is what makes chamber concerts special, and it was felt by everyone in the room.
Dinner and Community
The concert was free for everyone who came, and the evening ended with dinner prepared by members of our community, including the host family. Sharing a meal after the music, talking over the ragas we had just heard, is as much a part of this tradition as the concert itself.
With Gratitude
Our heartfelt thanks to Preethi and Prashanth for opening their home, to everyone who cooked and brought food, to Prisha and Shradhha for the lovely opening, to our artists, and to every rasika who spent their Friday evening with us.
Moments from the Evening
The main concert. From left: Sriram Iyer (mridangam), Balaji Chandran (ghatam), Abilash Giriprasad (vocal) and B. Ananthakrishnan (violin).
The curtain raiser: Prisha Prashanth (vocal), accompanied by Shradhha Devaraju (mridangam).
Don't miss the next one
Text or call Laya, our concerts assistant, at (952) 522-3121 to hear about upcoming concerts.
Layyasaaram Institute of Indian Arts
info@layyasaaram.org · www.layyasaaram.org
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