... is an Indian-American composer and Assistant Professor of Music (Theory/Composition/Electronic Music) at Lawrence University, Appleton, WI.

I have been involved with music since my early childhood in India. My extended family on both of my parents' sides are musical.

My mother Lalitha is currently a professional singer of Indian film songs and sings all over the U.S. When I was in India, at age 6, I started taking vocal lessons in Carnatic music (the classical music of Southern India).

After moving to the U.S., I was introduced to Western classical music through the public school system. In high school, I had the opportunity to take my first Music Theory class. What was supposed to be theoretical part-writing exercises turned into compositional experiments for me and thus sparked my passion for creating music. I am enthralled by the possibilities of integrating aspects of the Carnatic style into the Western music idiom. Thus, I draw from both my Western musical training and my Indian heritage to create my compositional language.

My education and degrees: DMA in Composition at the University of Maryland, College Park, under the guidance of Dr. Robert Gibson; two Master’s degrees in Computer Music Composition and Music Theory Pedagogy at the Peabody Conservatory, under the tutelage of Dr. Greg Boyle, Dr. Geoff Wright, and Dr. Paul Mathews; BA in Music (emphasis in Theory/Composition, Computer Music, and Arts Administration), with compositional studies under Dr. Kendall Kennison.

In 2006, I was named the winner of the BMI Foundation's first Annual Women's New Music Commission Competition. Other credits include the Walsum and the Prix d’Ete competitions. I have had electronic pieces performed at the June in Buffalo Festival, the SEAMUS Conference, the Spark Festival, the Electroacoustic Juke Joint, the Electronic Music Midwest Festival, and The Women in New Music Festival. I have been commissioned by the Sequoia Chamber Players, clarinetist E. Michael Richards, and Terra Voce. My original electro-acoustic opera, The Fallen Nutcracker, was premiered by Landless Theatre Company in Washington, D.C for a run of sixteen performances in 2003.

Curriculum Vitae (updated April 2009): Asha_vita_web.pdf