John Churchville holds a BFA Degree in World Music Performance from California Institute of the Arts, where he majored in North Indian Classical music, and minored in West African music and dance. He has been playing drums for over 20 years, and has studied tabla for the last ten. Currently, John is the music director at the "Go Like the Wind" School in Ann Arbor. He has performed in India, Germany, Canada, and all over the United States with a wide range of groups including the Gratitude Steel Band, Deep Blue Jazz Trio, Ann Arbor Kirtan, the U of M Indian Classical Music and Dance group, and as a featured performer with the Michigan Pops Orchestra.

Mahesh Ganesan grew up in Chennai, a city in the southern part of India and did his entire schooling there and graduated with an B.E in Chemical Engineering. He is currently working on his PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor with focus on bacterial polymers. Mahesh learned the Mridangam while playing for 8 years in Chenna, and underwent a month long course on the nuances of playing the Kanjira. While in undergrad, he got accustomed to playing the drum pads, basic flute, and the Indian version of the Jews Harp. He has accompanied numerous upcoming artistes in concerts back in Chennai and was a percussionist with the Music Troupe of National Institute of Technology, Trichy. Mahesh was awarded the Bharath Kalachar Scholarship in Percussion Instruments and the Best Percussionist Award from his high school. He is currently performing with the Michigan Sahana and Sumkali.

Scott Brady is a Michigan native and graduate of the University of Michigan-Flint, where he earned his BA Degree in classical and jazz performance on saxophone. He began studying the traditional Indian Bansuri, (flute) in 2003 when he won a scholarship to study music education in India. Since then he has studied and performed with Srimati Madhumita Saha, and master tabla player Pandit Samar Saha. Scott continues to teach, perform and promote music education and performance in Southeast Michigan.

Atmaram Chaitanya has been singing and playing Indian-style kirtan for over 38 years and is currently with the Ann Arbor Kirtan group. He has helped facilitate bhakti kirtans at ashrams, retreats, yoga studios, festivals, and homes around the U.S. and India. Atmaram plays harmonium and tambura and has had the honor of accompanying in concert master tabla players Pandit Samar Saha and Anuradha Pal, as well as renowned khyal singer Sugata Marjit and classical Bengal vocalist Shrimati Madhumita Saha.

Prashanth Gururaja grew up in New Jersey, where he started his South Indian Classical (Carnatic) violin training at a young age. He frequently accompanies local and international artists in Carnatic concerts around the Midwest, Northeast, and Canada. He also has been member of Michigan Beats, a fusion group made up of top local Indian Classical musicians and members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and was a featured performer with experimental jazz group Kozora. A diverse performer, he continues to train and perform regularly in both Carnatic and world music ensembles around Detroit/Ann Arbor, including Michigan Sahana, the Indian Classical Music group at the University of Michigan.

Dave Sharp was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and became deeply devoted to the study of jazz with bassist and jazz educator Marion Hayden. While living in California, he studied and performed with legendary jazz bassist Herbie Lewis (McCoy Tyner, Cannonball Adderly, Les McCann) in the Bay Area of San Francisco. He served as bassist and composer for the modern jazz ensemble Spheres of Infuence, toured Japan with the Jeff Griffin Quartet, and served as touring bassist for the seminal rock band The Melvins (Atlantic Records).

Vishrut Srivastava is studying business administration at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, along with psychology and music, and plans to graduate in 2013. Originally from Canton, Michigan, Vishrut has been singing Carnatic classical, light classical, and a cappella music most of his life. He is currently studying Carnatic music with Padma Sundar in Troy, Michigan. He plays harmonium & keyboard (10 years) along with some Indian percussion (4 years), tabla, and dholak. Vishrut currently performs with Maize Mirchi A Cappella, Michigan Sahana: Indian Classical Music & Dance, and Sumkali.

Member Bios

Dan Piccolo is a drummer and percussionist based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He has performed, taught, and studied internationally during his professional career, which has spanned nearly twenty years. Dan holds both a BM in Percussion Performance and a MM in Improvisation from the University of Michigan School of Music, and has studied tabla intensively in Varanasi, India. He performs regularly throughout the US and abroad in a wide variety of settings. Dan is also an active educator, teaching the full range of percussion instruments in private and classroom settings.

Meeta Banerjee began learning the sitar at the Detroit Institute for Indian Music. She has performed all over Michigan in venues such as the Detroit Institute of Arts, Ann Arbor Book Festival, and the N.American Bengali Conference. In 2005, she and John were invited as featured artists for the Michigan Pops Orchestra's "Pops Around the World". In 2000, she founded the Saadhanai Classical Music Group, a student-run organization at the University of Michigan. Saadhanai is dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Indian Hindustani classical music.