Bala Skandan, mridangam, kanjira; Nitin Mitta, tabla; Arun Ramamurthy, violin; Trina Basu, violin; Amaili Premawardhana, cello

Akshara is an exciting percussion group rooted in Indian classical musical traditions. Comprised of virtuosic performers in Carnatic and Hindustani classical genres, Akshara performs an energetic blend of classical Indian melody and rhythm highlighted with solo and scale-based improvisations. The group performs original compositions by Bala Skandan, demonstrating the powerful and complex rhythmic structures inherent in South Indian classical music. The leading instrument is Mridangam, a double-barreled drum that produces a deep rich tone and played with both hands to produce powerful and complex rhythm patterns. Other percussion instruments include Tabla, the main Hindustani percussion instrument North Indian equivalent of Mridangam, and Kanjira, the South Indian frame drum with a bass tone. Melodic accompaniment is provided using Carnatic Violins and Cello.

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