CARNATIC CROSSINGS

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A speculative re-imagination of indigenous South Indian music and its historical resonances with the sounds of pre-colonial Indian Ocean civilizations.

Carnatic Crossings brings together master artists of East African and South Indian music traditions. This ensemble is a pioneering effort to illuminate the shared roots and crossed routes of these two major world music traditions, through new compositions and profound improvisational exchanges.

Along with bandleader Sruti Sarathy on Carnatic violin and vocals, Carnatic Crossings features Ethiopian masinqo master, Endris Hassen, and Indian American mrdangam/multi-percussionist, Rohan Krishnamurthy. Both the masinqo (East African one-stringed fiddle) and the mrdangam (South Indian two-headed drum) are instruments over two thousand years old, and the masinqo is itself a predecessor to the modern violin. Thus, the three instruments onstage sonically and visually re-create the musical migrations that have criss-crossed—and continue to traverse—the Indian Ocean, from antiquity to modern times.

The ensemble imagines what historical encounters between East African and Indian musicians might have sounded like. Carnatic Crossings is a meeting place for South Indian raga music, Ethiopian scales, regional rhythms, boundary-less experimental improvisation, chants and mantras, and musical folklore. Carnatic Crossings has received support from InterMusic SF and the Center for Cultural Innovation, CA.

The Carnatic and Ethiopian azmari forms are deep-rooted in the three musicians. Their joyful, collaborative spirit produces an unforgettable live musical experience that is at once fresh to the ear and a homecoming for the heart.

Booking Inquiries: srutisarathymusic@gmail.com

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The BAND

Endris Hassen

Endris Hassen Ahmed began playing masinqo, a traditional Ethiopian one-stringed bowed instrument, at a young age. He was born and raised in Wello, an important region of Ethiopia both for this instrument and for Ethiopian secular music in general.

After moving to Addis Ababa as a teenager, he quickly became the most sought after masinqo player in the country's capital. Endris has now been recording and performing actively for more than twenty years, and is featured on over two thousand domestically produced albums, distributed on all channels of Ethiopian media domestic and abroad.

Endris served as chief masinqo player at Hager Fikir, a government-sponsored traditional music and theater company established in 1935, holding the position of Permanent Cultural Musician for 13 years. He’s collaborated with Éthiopiques founder Francis Falceto, performed with legendary Ethiopian singer Mulatu Astatke,

A choice experimental collaborator, Endris has worked with Han Bennink, Paal Nilssen-Love, Ken Vandermark, DJ Magabo, Hip Hop Project Stereognosis, The Ex, Opera Frontier, and more. Endris is committed to keeping the rich tradition of Ethiopian music and dance alive and fresh.

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Sruti Sarathy

Sruti Sarathy is a rare artist who possesses both mastery in the rigorous classical form as well as a boundary-pushing musical vision. A Carnatic violinist, vocalist, and composer, she animates the stage in diverse contexts across the globe, from the sabhas of Chennai, to European folk festivals, to radical performance art spaces in San Francisco.

Having started her tutelage at the age of three under hereditary Indian classical violin maestros, Anuradha Sridhar and Kala Ramnath, Sruti has a deep knowledge of the Indian violin that draws upon generations of musical knowledge and both North and South Indian forms. She has worked with Indian and world music luminaries, including Sikkil Gurucharan, N. Ravikiran, Trichy Sankaran, Oliver Rajamani (Romani music), the Folger Consort (baroque), and Jeronimo Maya (flamenco guitar).

Sruti was awarded the “Best Violinist” from the prestigious Madras Music Academy. She has received grants from Fulbright, Alliance for California Traditional Arts, and the Creative Work Fund. In 2022, she was selected to be a OneBeat Virtual Fellow. Sruti is known for her warm and joyful presence on the stage. Her unique sound brings out the voice of the Indian violin in a contemporary and imaginative way.

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Rohan Krishnamurthy

Indian-American percussionist, composer, and educator Dr. Rohan Krishnamurthy is one of the leading voices of Indian classical and cross-genre music in the South Asian diaspora. Acclaimed a “musical ambassador” and “pride of India” by The Times of India, Rohan’s cross-cultural artistry draws from his formal study of south Indian classical Carnatic music, at once propagating the ancient tradition and expanding it across global genres.

Rohan has performed internationally since the age of nine as a distinguished soloist and collaborator in diverse music and dance ensembles. Rohan has had the honor of sharing the stage with leading artists of Indian classical music, including M. Balamuralikrishna, T.N. Krishnan, N. Ramani, and L. Shankar. He has spearheaded numerous cross-genre collaborations with producers, jazz ensembles, orchestras, and global musicians including multi-percussionist Glen Velez and violin virtuoso Ayano Ninomiya.

A celebrated educator, Rohan received a Ph.D. in musicology from the Eastman School of Music in New York. He is the leader of the celebrated Indo-jazz-funk band, The Alaya Project.

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