Awards & Achievements

Major Awards

• Sri Kala Purna Award
  SAPNA & Sri Foundation, USA — May 2025
  Honored for exceptional contributions to Carnatic music performance, teaching, and community enrichment.

• Mahamahopadhyaya Padmasri Dr. Emani Sankara Sastry Award
  Ramavarapu Vijayalakshmi Charitable Trust, Visakhapatnam — October 2025
  Recognized for artistic excellence, veena performance, and commitment to preserving the legacy of Carnatic music.

• Recognition by CTU (Chicago Tyagaraja Utsavam)
  Felicitated for leadership in training large ensembles and advancing group performances and music education across the Chicago community.

Professional Accomplishments

Artist & Educator — Freelance / Across USA

• Presented Srirangam Gopalaratnam’s rare renditions for the first time in SAPNA’s Chicago series.

• Researched, revived, and performed rare and lesser-known Carnatic compositions, expanding public access to traditional repertoire.

• Mentored numerous students across the United States, nurturing technical skill, musicality, and deep appreciation for the veena.

Founder & Artistic Director — Sangeeta Saarani School of Music

• Founded and led Sangeeta Saarani for over 14 years in Naperville/Aurora, Chicago, Illinois.

• Trained and mentored 250+ students in veena, vocal, keyboard, and Carnatic music theory.

• Provided high-quality instruction in both the USA and India (Hyderabad), building a global community of learners.

Notable Performances & Projects

• Featured Artist for the Sri Annamacharya Project of North America (SAPNA), Chicago.

• Presented Srirangam Gopalaratnam’s renditions for the first time in SAPNA’s Chicago concert series.

• Trained and led a large multi-instrumental ensemble of vocalists, veena artists, violinists, flautists, and mridangam artists for the Srirangam Gopalaratnam Annamayya presentations at CTU Chicago Tyagaraja Utsavam.

• Curated and performed rare musical repertoire, contributing to the preservation and propagation of traditional Carnatic music.