Synopsis:
Mission Statement:
Founded in 1976, the Carnatic Music Association of North America (CMANA) is a membership-based, non-profit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to promoting, preserving, and advancing the Carnatic tradition of Indian classical music and related fine arts across North America. Guided by a diverse community of volunteers, CMANA serves as a cultural bridge between India and the United States, fostering appreciation and understanding of this art form among multi-generational and multicultural audiences.
Our mission is centered on three pillars:
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Concert Performance – Providing platforms for world-renowned artists as well as emerging talent to share their music with North American audiences.
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Music Education – Nurturing learning and scholarship through teacher directories, youth competitions, workshops, and publications.
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Youth Development – Inspiring the next generation through subsidized access to concerts, performance opportunities, and leadership roles within the organization.
Through these initiatives, CMANA continues to strengthen cultural heritage, encourage artistic excellence, and create lasting impact within the global music community..
Details:
CMANA provides a concert performance platform by regularly arranging tours of both visiting as well as locally residing eminent musicians. These concert tours are coveted by these critically-acclaimed artistes and cherished by music lovers in the US and Canada. The list of musicians who have toured under CMANA’s banner serves as a Who-is-Who of Carnatic style of music. CMANA also arranges individual concerts of talented musicians in various genres such as Carnatic Vocal, Carnatic Instrumental, Hindustani Vocal, Jugalbandhi, Percussion Ensemble, and lecture demonstrations (Lec-Dems).
The Association relentlessly promotes education, learning, and advancement in Carnatic Music by maintaining a directory of qualified teachers and by organizing youth competitions such as the Great Composer Day (GCD) with evaluation and feedback by expert judge panels. Senior winners of the GCD get special recognition and multiple opportunities to perform in junior concerts. The Association kindles the budding youth’s creative interest in music theory and writing via publishing a scholarly periodical called Sangeetham. CMANA also strives for continuous collaboration with grassroots arts organizations and institutions of higher learning for cross-transfer of knowledge.
CMANA is unique in promoting youth development – it underwrites their concert attendance (all Junior Members attend concerts for free), subsidizes concert tickets for college Students, and facilitates community service via volunteering opportunities and certificates for youth in organizational and leadership capacities. CMANA proudly notes that some Junior Members have grown into professional musicians and dancers, teachers of music and dance, ethnomusicologists, sound engineers, and so on.
The Association has helped to raise funds for many worthy Carnatic music related causes and has established Endowment Prizes for promoting young talent at three prestigious venues – the Chennai Music Academy, Narada Gana Sabha Chennai, and the Bangalore Percussion Arts Center.
CMANA is financially supported primarily by membership dues, donations and matching grants from donors’ employers.
CMANA is managed by a democratically elected Board comprising of President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. These office-bearers serve the Association in these roles as volunteers and are highly accomplished professionals in their own busy spheres of life. A Financial Oversight Committee maintains oversight on the finances of the CMANA. As a matter of transparency, all Financial Statements and budget plans are presented and available to all members of record.
