Krishna The Joy of Living - a Grand Multimedia Musical Production

Date and Time:May 18 @5 PM

Organiser:Mexican Heritage Plaza

Krishna - The Joy of Living 

Composed and Directed by Dr. Kanniks Kannikeswaran 

The word Krishna is synonymous with ‘Joy’. Krishna is revered throughout India as a popular form of Divinity and is worshipped and celebrated through verse, music, dance, drama and colorful festivities. Krishna the cowherd enraptures the young and the old alike. Krishna the charming young man and the beloved of Radha is the staple of art forms in various parts of India. Krishna the source of the ‘Divine Song’ that delivers message of dharma is the greatest of teachers. Krishna is present in the very breath of India. Not a region of the subcontinent remains untouched by his presence. ‘

Krishna - The Joy of Living’ is a musical production that portrays the presence of Krishna in art forms throughout India - say through the words of the the Vaishnava Saints of Gujarat and Eastern India , the Gita, the  Tamil words of the Jain monk Illango Adigal or those of the mystic Sri Vaishnava poetess Andal or through the romantic poetry of Jaydev of Eastern India - through the words of the Sants of Maharashtra or the mystic poetry of Mira. Krishna is a multimedia production that seamlessly integrates history, poetry, choral music, multi-genre folk and classical dance forms and multimedia in a grand musical production that transcends cultural boundaries. Krishna is also a journey into our innermost selves. This production is conceived and composed by Dr Kanniks Kannikeswaran, a pioneer of the Indian American Choral movement and the creator of the much acclaimed Sanskrit Oratorio ‘Shanti - A Journey of Peace’. Krishna will be performed by a choir of singers from the Bay area and will be supported by a large cast of dancers also from area. 

For those who have performed in ‘Shanti - A Journey of Peace’ - Krishna will follow the same format of choral music with orchestral accompaniment (Indian and Western) accompanied by dances and visuals. Krishna touched, moved and inspired performers and audiences in the Tampa area in a powerful performance in March 2017 and is now coming to the Bay Area for the first time.

Krishna production will bring a large community of performers together (40 singers, 8 member orchestral ensemble, 50 dancers and a 25 member children’s choir) seamlessly integrated in a powerful presentation centered on the Joy of Living. The performance in itself is a stunning display of cultural diversity and the process of building this production brings together a diverse community of performers covering a wide demographic range of languages, professions, age groups etc.

Krishna is is committed to the vision of building community and celebrating cultural diversity. For more information on Krishna, please contact Kanniks at 513 226 0676.

Musical Outline 

Here is an outline of some of the musical elements that make up ‘Krishna’. 

Chants in Raag Yaman followed by a brisk Kirtan in the same raga
Mira - Kirtan with words from Mira and Narsingh Mehta’s words (Folk Dance choreography)
Haveli Sangeet - Dhrupad Style composition for choir
Tarana in Raag Basant - Choreographed in the Kathak Dance Form

 laghu Bhagavatam - Choreographed in the Odissi Dance Form

aichiyar kuravai - 2nd century lyrics in Tamil choreographed in the folk dance idiom

raase - (Ashtapadi verses in the Kuchipudi idiom) 
Dhindee - Varkari Sampradaya Kirtan
Chants from the Gita