Concept

Dr. Lavanya Rajagopalan Dr. Anne Lundy

Choreography

Dr. Lavanya Rajagopalan

Music Director

Dr. Anne Lundy

PROGRAM

Curtain Raiser

Christina Wells and Shraddha Mohan

Kindred SOUL: The Legacy of King and Gandhi

Soon I Will Be Done
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
St. Louis Blues
Don’t Mean a Thing
We Shall Overcome / Hum Honge Kamyaab
Eyes on The Prize
Abide with me
Lift Every Voice
Vaishnava Jana To
Peace and Plenty Rag

Silambam Houston Dancers

Sreelakshmi Somanath Ariya Shah
Sanjana Prabhu Rishveda Shinoj
Sahana Thothadri Faiza Chatoor
Kavya Mathukumalli Srija Sureddi

Orchestra

Dr. Anne Lundy Violin
Vivian Mosley Piano

and other members of the
Scott Joplin Chamber Orchestra

Vocals

Christina Wells
Shraddha Mohan

Backup Vocals: Kaavya Rajarathnam

Voiceovers

Lavanya Rajagopalan
Jovan Jackson

Music Arrangement & Editing

Shraddha Mohan

Audiovisuals & Set design

Lavanya Rajagopalan

Lighting Design

Anjali Kadur

Stage Management

Kaavya Rajarathnam

Wardrobe

Mridula Padmanabhan

Special appearance:

Sindhu Gangula
Saronsri Senthamilselvan
Kaavya Rajarathnam
Aditi Abbaraju
Reethi Kavaipatti

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

**Dr. Lavanya Rajagopalan** *(Artistic Direction, Choreography)* A dancer, choreographer, arts educator, administrator and advocate, **Dr. Lavanya Rajagopalan** has been immersed in the ancient art form of Bharatanatyam for over 35 years. Having had the immense good fortune to learn the art from the legendary Bharatanatyam exponent and Guru, PadmaShri Professor Sudharani Raghupathy, she had her own Ranga Pravesham in 1992 and has performed extensively and to critical acclaim in India and the US. She has trained in classical music under Shri Seetharama Sharma, and later with Shri. Srinivasa Iyengar and Padmabhushan Vidwan Madurai Shri. N. Krishnan. In 2002, Lavanya founded, and continues to serve as the Executive Artistic Director of, Silambam Houston, a nonprofit organization that has been at the forefront of Indian arts education, outreach, performance, and advocacy in the Houston area. Among the honors she has received is the distinguished '*Acharya Kala Bharathi*' award from Bharat Kalachar in Chennai, recognizing her contributions to the field of Bharatanatyam as a Guru. In addition to her artistic pursuits, Lavanya holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry.

**Dr. Anne Lundy** *(Music Director, Violinist)*
A native Houstonian, **Dr. Anne Lundy** is a violinist, conductor and music educator who became the first African-American woman to conduct the Houston Symphony in 1989. She completed her Bachelor of Music Education from The University of Texas at Austin, where she studied violin with Stephen Clapp (who later went on to become the Dean of the Juilliard School of Music). She completed her Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Houston in 1979, and received her Doctorate of Musical Arts in Music Education from the University of Houston's Moores School of Music in 2015. She taught in Houston public schools for four years at Deady Jr. High and Milby High School. Dr. Lundy founded the Scott Joplin Chamber Orchestra and the William Grant Still Quartet, which specializes in performing chamber works written by black composers. Dr. Lundy continues to conduct, play, teach, and serve as the Music Director of the Community Music Center of Houston, as well as lecture and publish, and also continues to share her passion for conducting orchestral music and her mission of bringing the music of marginalized black composers into the spotlight.

Christina Wells (Vocalist) is a singer, actor, writer, designer, and motivational speaker. After 15 years working as a registered nurse, she shifted focus towards her passion for singing which led her to becoming a semifinalist on Season 18 of America's Got Talent. Since her time on AGT she has since performed in many shows such as MotorMouth Maybelle in Hairspray, Ursula in The Little Mermaid, Sour Kangaroo in Seussical, Medda Larkin in Newsies and Deloris Van Cartier in Sister Act to name just a few! She recently toured as Matron "Mama" Morton in the 25th Anniversary Broadway National tour of Chicago.

In addition to her musical talent, she found that her message of self-love, confidence, and positivity would inspire millions to pursue their own dreams. News publications such as USA Today, Forbes, The Houston Chronicle, Billboard Magazine, Washington Post, NPR, and more have featured her as a performer with a message of positivity, love, and hope that also has a powerhouse voice that’ll blow the roof off of any stage.

For more info visit www.ChristinaWells.com

**Shraddha Mohan** (*Vocalist; Music Arrangement*) holds a Masters in Indian Music from University of Madras, Chennai, India, and serves on the faculty of Silambam Houston, teaching Carnatic vocal music. Shraddha was awarded Best Vocalist at the Spirit of Youth Concerts held by The Music Academy Madras. She has been a passionate student of Carnatic music from the age of 5 and started her performing career in India at the age of 10. She has performed in many of the major Classical Arts institutions in India as well as the All India Radio. She has been invited to international performance arenas in Denmark, Singapore, Dubai and in many cities in the USA. Shraddha hails from a lineage of Gurus who are extremely dedicated to the preservation of traditional South Indian Classical art forms, and she aims to pass on this heritage, and the values and relevance that these art forms hold today, to the next generation of artists.

**Sreelakshmi Somanath** *(Bharatanatyam)* is a senior Silambam student and company dancer. She began her Bharathanatyam journey at the age of 7 when she trained under Dr. Sreedhara Akkihebbalu for a few months in Corpus Christi. After moving to Houston, Sreelakshmi found her artistic home at Silambam Houston in August 2018, under Guru Dr. Lavanya Rajagopalan. She had her Ranga Pravesham (solo dance debut) in June 2022 and has danced in several, original Silambam Houston productions. In addition to performing, Sreelakshmi also helps teach beginner through advanced classes at Silambam.

**Kavya Mathukumalli** (*Bharatanatyam*) is an Indian classical dancer training in Bharatanatyam under Dr. Lavanya Rajagopalan, while simultaneously continuing her specialization in Kuchipudi. She collaborated with several esteemed artists and choreographers in notable Silambam-Houston productions- Dance of the Cosmos and Waking up Free-India’s Journey. In 2024, she showcased her art at Barnstorm Dance Fest. Currently, based in Illinois, Kavya remains deeply committed to her passion through regular training and performances.

**Sahana Thothadri** (*Bharatanatyam*) is a rising junior at Shadow Creek Highschool who has been training in Bharatanatyam at Silambam since 2018. She completed her Ranga Pravesham (solo dance debut) in 2024 and has been teaching at Silambam for the last 3 years. She hopes to pursue a career in math or science in the future.

**Sanjana Prabhu** *(Bharatanatyam)* is an upcoming senior at Clear Springs High School and has been training in Bharatanatyam for 10 years. She received her salangai in March of 2022 and completed her Ranga Pravesham in 2024. She has also served as a student instructor, teaching beginner batches at Silambam. She thoroughly enjoys dancing and hopes to continue her Bharatanatyam journey.

**Srija Sureddi** (*Bharatanatyam*) began her Bharatanatyam journey in 2015 at age six under Dr. Lavanya Rajagopalan at Silambam Houston and received her Salangai in 2022. She has performed in many Silambam productions, including Waking Up Free: India’s Journey at Miller Outdoor Theatre in 2023. A senior at Shadow Creek High School, she will attend the University of Texas at Austin this fall to study biochemistry.

**Rishveda Shinoj** (*Bharatanatyam*) is a rising junior at Carnegie Vanguard High School and a dedicated student of Indian classical dance. She has been training in Bharatanatyam at Silambam since 2020 and began her Mohiniyattam journey in 2024. Rishveda currently serves as a junior student instructor at Silambam’s Heights location and is an active member of her school’s competitive dance and track teams. She also enjoys playing the piano.

**Faiza Chatoor** *(Bharatanatyam)* has been training in Bharatanatyam for several years - previously in Sri Lanka and now as part of the Silambam Houston community. She is also a student of Kathak at Silambam. Professionally, she does Bollywood dance choreography for weddings. She also volunteers as an ESL teacher and curriculum developer. In her free time, she enjoys reading and watching Pakistani dramas.

**Ariya Shah** *(Bharatanatyam)* is a rising junior and loves being part of the Silambam family. She has been learning Bharatanatyam since 2014, received her ankle bells (Salangai) in 2022, and is currently training for her Arangetram. She is a student instructor at Silambam, helping with intermediate classes. She participates in her school’s DECA, interact, debate, and red cross clubs. She is also an active volunteer in her temple’s SEVA program and in the JFH youth club.

**Vivian Mosley** *(piano)* is a 3rd generation musician and 4th generation alumna of Prairie View A&M University. At the age of 5, Vivian began her classical piano studies under Olga Merrit at the Community Music Center of Houston (CMCH). She then studied acoustic guitar and trumpet at fellow Union member Sam Dinkin’s DDC School of Music. Vivian is a graduate of The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA). Vivian has studied under Pianist, Composer Dr. John Cornelius II as well as Violist, Conductor Dr. Anne Lundy and Vocal Director Dr. A. Jan Taylor. Vivian is also the Artistic Director of JamPAC Entertainment Group. Vivian also has a Masters of Music from the University of St. Thomas.

**Kaavya Rajarathnam** (*backup vocals*) is an Indian-American vocalist, dancer and actress. A member of Theater Under The Stars Pre-Professional Company (2024-25), Kaavya has performed in the ensemble for several of TUTS’ mainstage productions, including The Little Mermaid (2021), Sweeney Todd (2023), Newsies (2024), and Frozen (2024), in addition to various school and community theater productions. Kaavya is also trained in Indian classical music and dance, and is a Bharatanatyam and Carnatic vocal instructor at Silambam Houston. She also works as a lead technician for performances at the Silambam Houston Cultural Arts Center.

The ensemble includes other members of the Scott Joplin Chamber Orchestra (viola, cello). These musicians are associated with the Community Music Center of Houston, which has taught and fostered strong relationships with musicians throughout Third Ward and surrounding areas.