Bala Skandan performs Carnatic music in traditional and contemporary settings, as a soloist and in collaboration with musicians across musical traditions.
His performance work spans Mridangam, Kanjira and Carnatic violin, alongside original compositions and collaborative projects that bring the rhythmic and melodic language of Carnatic music into new musical contexts.
From Carnatic kutcheris (concerts) to Indian classical dance, Bala has performed internationally as a mridangam and Carnatic violin artist accompanying many of the tradition’s leading musicians and dancers.
Bala collaborates with musicians, composers and dancers across Indian classical, jazz, Western classical and contemporary music, developing projects through both composed work and improvisation. He also develops and curates programs that bring together artists and musical traditions around a shared artistic idea.
Founded and directed by Bala, Akshara Music Ensemble performs original compositions rooted in Carnatic music, bringing together musicians from Indian classical, jazz, Western classical and other musical traditions.
Bala has performed with leading artists across Carnatic and Hindustani music, dance and other musical traditions, including his gurus Karaikudi R. Mani and T. V. Gopalakrishnan, violinist Lalgudi G. Jayaraman, sitarist Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan, flautist Pravin Godkhindi, Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer C. V. Chandrasekhar, and percussionist Glen Velez.
Lincoln Center · BAM · Kennedy Center · National Gallery of Art · Symphony Space · World Music Festival Chicago · Queen Elizabeth Hall
Conceptualized by Bala Skandan and Sonali Skandan, B’Rhythm is an interdisciplinary performance project bringing together original music and dancers from diverse movement traditions, including Kathak, flamenco, African dance and urban forms. Bala composes the music and works collaboratively with the dancers to develop performances in which rhythm provides a common language between music and movement.
Inspired in part by the sounds, rhythms and cultural intersections of New York City, B’Rhythm draws on Carnatic and Hindustani rhythmic traditions alongside a broader world of percussion. Mridangam, tabla, kanjira and konnakkol interact with instruments such as frame drum, djembe and cajón, creating a framework in which different musical and dance traditions retain their individual character while finding points of connection.
B’Rhythm premiered at New York’s Drive East Festival in 2019.
Bala composes original music for concert performance, dance, film and theater, drawing on the rhythmic and melodic language of Carnatic music while responding to the particular needs of each project. His commissioned works have included Mother Teresa, a dance drama; Four Horsemen, a contemporary dance-theater work; and Urban Kutcheri, a site-specific production bringing together classical and street forms.
He works closely with choreographers, directors and performers to develop music in relation to movement, narrative and the larger artistic concept.
