Music
Mira is a classical pianist whose playing has been described by Deepa Alexander of The Hindu as “much better than …perfect.” She began studying piano at age 8 with renowned Canadian teacher Wolfram Linnebach, with whom she still studies. She has also studied with Jeff Ladeur (San Francisco), Jane Coop (UBC), Raymond Fisher (Oxford University), and Jacinthe Couture (Université de Montréal), among other distinguished musicians. Mira was a student at the Conservatoire National de la Région de Paris (now CRR) in 1991-92. She participated twice in the Orford summer academy, receiving a scholarship to do so in 1990, studying with Marc Durand, Sister Natalie Pépin, and Dorothy Morton. As a young musician, she also attended masterclasses in the summer program at Medicine Hat College.
Music by Mira T. Sundara Rajan
Mira gave her first piano recital in 1987, in India, performing at the home of J. Cooling Rajaiah, a musician and piano aficionado from the ancient South Indian temple town of Tiruchirappali. At the time, pianos were not imported into India and instruments were generally unavailable, but she was able to perform on a piano from the colonial era that had been entirely rebuilt by Mr. Rajaiah. Times have changed! From the early 2000s, Mira has had the opportunity to perform regularly in India and has given recitals for the British Council, the Goethe-Institut (Max Muller Bhavan), and the Madras Musical Association in Chennai, as well as performing on multiple occasions as a guest of the Canadian Embassy in New Delhi, and at the Canadian Consulate in Mumbai.
Mira has also been welcomed by the classical music community in South India. She has helped with advocacy for artists, supporting violinist Lalgudi G. Jayaraman and advocating more generally for South Indian musicians’ rights through her knowledge of copyright law. As a musician, encouraged by her mother, Mira has explored the creative connections between Western and Indian classical music and is currently developing new projects in this area.
Mira’s repertoire interests extend from the core Romantic piano literature of the nineteenth century to twentieth century and contemporary works from diverse countries. All her musical interests have grown out of an early and passionate exposure to the music of J.S. Bach.
Mira has also been studying the Alexander Technique since 2011.
Mira is keenly interested in exploring interdisciplinary creative endeavours that bring together her interests in music, literature, media, and advocacy. Her current projects include a multidisciplinary work incorporating music, writing, and film to explore the piano works of Alexander Scriabin, Russian pianist and composer, mystic and visionary – who was also a contemporary of her great-grandfather.