Rajna Swaminathan (left); Linda May Han Oh (right)
American Composers Forum, Philadelphia Chapter is pleased to present an online artist talk between Rajna Swaminathan and Linda May Han Oh, two composers and performers whose creative practice bridges jazz, improvisation, and other musical forms and styles. During this free event, Rajna and Linda will discuss their creative process, reflect on their artistic influences, and share recent work.
The event is co-presented with the Young Women Composers Camp and will be hosted by Erin Busch.
FREE, REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. SPACE IS LIMITED. PLEASE RESERVE ONE SPOT PER HOUSEHOLD. A Zoom link will be sent to you the day of the event.
Rajna Swaminathan is an acclaimed mrudangam (South Indian percussion) artist, composer, and scholar. Described as “a vital new voice” (Pop Matters), Rajna’s creative trajectory has blossomed through a search for resonance and fluidity among musical forms and aesthetic worlds. She leads the ensemble RAJAS, writing expansive, boundary breaking music for herself and like-minded improvisers, spanning multiple musical approaches. Rajna’s debut album with RAJAS, Of Agency and Abstraction (Biophilia Records, 2019), has been lauded as “music of gravity and rigor… yet its overall effect is accessible and uplifting” (Wall Street Journal). As a composer, she has recently received commissions from the LA Philharmonic, Chamber Music America, and National Sawdust, among others. In addition to her projects, Rajna performs extensively in ensembles led by Vijay Iyer, Amir ElSaffar, Ganavya Doraiswamy, and Aakash Mittal. She is currently completing a PhD in Music (Creative Practice and Critical Inquiry) at Harvard University.
Bassist/composer Linda May Han Oh has performed and recorded with artists such as Pat Metheny, Kenny Barron, Joe Lovano, and Geri Allen. Raised in Perth, Australia, based in NYC, Linda has received many awards and was voted the 2018, 2019 and 2020 Bassist of the Year award by the Jazz Journalist’s Association and was listed as one of five musicians in 2021 pushing jazz into the future by Grammy.com. She is a Jerome Foundation Fellow and recently received the 2020 APRA award for Best New Jazz Work for her album “Aventurine.” Linda has had five releases as a leader, receiving critical acclaim. She has written for large and small ensembles as well as for film. She was recently the bassist in the Pixar movie "Soul." and is Associate Professor at the Berklee College of Music. She has also created a series of lessons for the BassGuru app for iPad/iPhone.