By IANS
New York : An Indian American music composer has become an inspiration for a whole new generation of American composers by being ranked among the top 15 women composers in the US.
Asha Srinivasan, 26, a doctoral student at the University of Maryland, performed over the weekend at the Celebration of Women Composers at the Notable Women Festival in New York, organised by Orchestra of St. Luke's, America's foremost chamber orchestra, which has gained critical acclaim for vibrant music making.
Srinivasan's composition, "The River Near Savathi", was commissioned after she beat 66 other American composers between the ages of 20 and 30 in a competition held in December 2006.
With the honour, Asha has made it to the ranks of the top 15 women composers in America, reported Indolink, an ethnic magazine.
Asha was born in Utah and raised in India as well as the US. Her musical compositions are greatly influenced by south Indian Carnatic music.
"I work a lot with what I call scales, it's probably more proper to call them modes. It has to do with Carnatic music. I don't know it very well, so my sets may not necessarily be exact. But that has definitely influenced me. It's my way of having a pitch system," Asha said.
Asha is currently pursuing a DMA (Doctorate in Musical Arts) in composition at the University of Maryland, where she is also an electronic music teaching assistant.
In 2006, Asha won an award at the Walsum Competition for her string quartet "Kalpitha" and the second prize in the Prix d'Ete Competition for her flute and computer piece "Alone, Dancing", which was performed at SEAMUS (Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the US) 2005.