Chandrika Pai was born into a family of music connoisseurs. Chandrika was exposed to music ever since she was born, owing to a tradition followed in her family of singing devotional songs and bhajans, with tabla and harmonium accompaniment, every day at sunset. Thus, she was exposed to laya, talam and ragam at a very young age. Meanwhile, her older sister Sudha Suresh, who is an accomplished Carnatic vocalist in her own right, had already begun Carnatic vocal training under Sangeeta Vidhwan N. Gopalakrishna Iyer of Kalaniketana, Mangalore. Every day, when Sudha practised at home, Chandrika would sit by her side and imbibe the nuances of the complex vocal art form.
It was the occasion of Navarathri celebrations at Kalaniketana when 5-year old Chandrika insisted that she would sing on stage with the accompanists. Guru Goplakrishna Iyer, seeing her enthusiasm, conceded to her request. Chandrika sang Mahaganapathim in Ragam Natai, and Varava Kodu Enage Vaghdevi in Ragam Vasantham. Her prodigious singing was flawless. Enthralled by her performance Guru Gopalakrishna Iyer accepted her as a student. Chandrika received vocal lessons for 12 years under Vidhwan Iyer. During this time, she also received intensive vocal training from her sister Sudha Suresh.
At the tender age of 11, she secured first rank in the state-wide Carnatic Vocal Junior exam obtaining a perfect score of 100%. Later, she passed her Senior and Vidhwat examinations with distinction honors. In 1997, she was a winner in the prestigious national level competition conducted by All India Radio (AIR). Since then, she has been a graded artiste of AIR, Mangalore. She has received state and central government scholarships in India in recognition of her immense talent and creativity. Chandrika also received vocal lessons from Sangeetha Kalacharya Sri Chengleput Ranganathan while she resided in Chennai for a brief period of time. Chandrika traveled extensively in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, given performances at numerous forums, including the Guruvayoor Temple, Madurai Meenakshi Temple, TVG Sabha in Chennai.
In 2002, Chandrika moved to the US. She has been teaching and performing in the US since then. She lives in San Ramon, CA, where she is the founder-director of the Nada Sudha School of Music. Through her school, she provides aspiring students with a strong foundation in the theoretical and performing aspects of the complex vocal art form. The school emphasizes emotion (bhava) and devotion (bhakthi) in a nurturing and positive fun-filled learning atmosphere. She actively supports the California Bay Area community by performing in fundraisers and other cultural events that celebrate the rich culture and musical heritage of India.
It was the occasion of Navarathri celebrations at Kalaniketana when 5-year old Chandrika insisted that she would sing on stage with the accompanists. Guru Goplakrishna Iyer, seeing her enthusiasm, conceded to her request. Chandrika sang Mahaganapathim in Ragam Natai, and Varava Kodu Enage Vaghdevi in Ragam Vasantham. Her prodigious singing was flawless. Enthralled by her performance Guru Gopalakrishna Iyer accepted her as a student. Chandrika received vocal lessons for 12 years under Vidhwan Iyer. During this time, she also received intensive vocal training from her sister Sudha Suresh.
At the tender age of 11, she secured first rank in the state-wide Carnatic Vocal Junior exam obtaining a perfect score of 100%. Later, she passed her Senior and Vidhwat examinations with distinction honors. In 1997, she was a winner in the prestigious national level competition conducted by All India Radio (AIR). Since then, she has been a graded artiste of AIR, Mangalore. She has received state and central government scholarships in India in recognition of her immense talent and creativity. Chandrika also received vocal lessons from Sangeetha Kalacharya Sri Chengleput Ranganathan while she resided in Chennai for a brief period of time. Chandrika traveled extensively in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, given performances at numerous forums, including the Guruvayoor Temple, Madurai Meenakshi Temple, TVG Sabha in Chennai.
In 2002, Chandrika moved to the US. She has been teaching and performing in the US since then. She lives in San Ramon, CA, where she is the founder-director of the Nada Sudha School of Music. Through her school, she provides aspiring students with a strong foundation in the theoretical and performing aspects of the complex vocal art form. The school emphasizes emotion (bhava) and devotion (bhakthi) in a nurturing and positive fun-filled learning atmosphere. She actively supports the California Bay Area community by performing in fundraisers and other cultural events that celebrate the rich culture and musical heritage of India.
Testimonials
"Chandrika Pai is endowed with the divine gift of a beautiful voice. Through her devoted sadhana with gurus who have deep knowledge of Carnatic music, she has trained her vocal skills to a high degree of perfection. Her voice has an unusually rich timbre and depth that belies her petite appearance. But her greatest gift is her ability to recreate the bhAva, or emotion of devotional fervor, that characterizes the great compositions in Carnatic music. Through her heartfelt singing she is able to evoke the very image of the Lord that must have inspired the composer. For the ultimate purpose of Carnatic music is the offering of music as devotion to the Lord. Since she succeeds so eminently in this regard, she is able to touch even those listeners, such as myself, who are unsophisticated in their appreciation of the technical nuances of Carnatic music. The fact that she has won much critical acclaim in learned circles serves to further affirm her virtuosity. The best way to experience the bliss of Chandrika's music is to listen to her perform in person, and I recommend this very highly to anyone interested in Carnatic music." - Prof. Shankar Subramaniam, Ames, Iowa