North American Premiere of Sarojini

I am thrilled to share that we are giving the first North American performance of Sarojini in my home state of Minnesota, USA, on October 25, 2025.

Sarojini is a large musical work for choir, orchestra, and Indian classical solos; it is approximately ~45 minutes in length. Sarojini pays tribute to the life and legacy of Sarojini Naidu, one of the great leaders of the Indian Independence Movement.

Sarojini was commissioned and premiered by Hertfordshire Chorus (director: David Temple MBE) in 2022, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of India winning its independence from the British Empire. Naidu, the central figure of the piece, was a poet as well as a political leader. Therefore, her writings (her poetry, speeches, and private musings) comprise the bulk of the text that the choir performs.

Movement 1: Kalaakaar honors the creativity and artistic vision that informed every part of her life. Movement 2: The Gift of India is a setting of a World War 1-era poem that powerfully brings home exactly how India and her people suffered under colonial rule. Movement 3: The Real Nation-Builders begins with the words "We are weary, but soon we must rise. O Mother [India], Rise, Regenerate!" It ends with Naidu's assertion that women are the "real nation-builders," and only through their labor (and the Goddess's blessing) will an independent India be achieved. Movement 4: Swaraj is filled with passion and fervor for a home-ruled India; in honor of the pluralities and contributions of South Asians culturally and politically, this movement reverentially references Allama Iqbal's famous "Saare Jahan Se Acchha," which was tuned by Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar Ji. Movement 5: The Dreams That Remain contemplates the human cost of Partition and looks to Sarojini Naidu's words – "Let us gather the dreams that remain" – to guide us in fulfilling the vision of freedom for all peoples.

Sarojini Naidu wrote: "Do not limit your love only to your kind. Your ideals of patriotism should extend to the welfare of the world." What a powerful idea... that belief in freedom for your countrymen or your community should indeed mean freedom for all.

Sarojini Naidu was one of the few women to lead the movement, the first Indian woman to chair the Indian National Congress, and the first female Governor of the newly-formed India of 1947. The list of her accolades in art and leadership is long; she received praise from across the spectrum of humanity, from the Empire itself all the way to progressive civil rights' leaders. It has been my honor to set her texts to music, and to bring this story to the stage.

VocalEssence, one of the premier choirs of the USA, will be joining hands with the fantastic Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and our two incredible soloists: Vidushi Nirmala Rajasekar and Thanjavur K. Murugaboopathi (both of whom premiered their roles in the UK at St. Albans Cathedral in October 2022). The performance will be at Ted Mann Concert Hall on the afternoon of October 25, 2025. We will have a pre-concert talk, then the first half of the concert at 4 PM, and Sarojini will comprise the entire second half - specially for this concert, our Indian music soloists will be performing the Sarojini Prelude.

We look forward to welcoming you to this special concert! More details are available here.