Primary:

• • To stimulate and catalyze the growth and development of the concept of melharmony
  • To commission or support the creation of original Melharmonic compositions and arrangements

• To organise performances, festivals and educational sessions
• To facilitate collaborations between composers and artists of diverse systems
• To organise or support Fundraisers for environmental, social, health and educational initiatives.
• To initiate Corporate Orchestra Programs (COP) in USA and other countries that includes creating localized classical & world music orchestras & ensembles using musically talented staff and family members of each company/office to alleviate stress, improve morale, relax and rejuvenate everyone that in turns results in enhanced efficiency and and productivity.
• To initiate the Corporate Networks for Classical (CNC) program that builds a Federation of various companies that present short lecture-concerts based on classical music from various parts of the world for its own staff or for general public periodically.
• To conduct live as well as online courses, camps and workshops on Melharmony.
• To create Melharmonic content (audio/visual/print/electronic publications and productions).

Creation:

• To stimulate the continued growth and development of a strong theoretical framework for melharmony that enables composers and musicians from any part of the world to create melharmonic works.
• To invite, encourage and support composers from diverse genres to create new melharmonic works.
• To support organisations involved in promoting Melharmony events in USA and other parts of the world
• To support artists initiatives in Melharmony all parts of the world
• To introduce works of the master melody composers in various schools and colleges, through original/Melharmonically re-arranged pieces for orchestras and ensembles.
• To create, train and sustain the North American Melharmonic Orchestra (NAMO) with professional artists & North American Melharmonic Honours Orchestra (NAMHO) with talented students and give them concert opportunities across North America and other parts of the world.

Performances, Festivals, Seminars & Research:

• Conduct multi-culture, multi-composer Melharmony Festivals showcasing the brilliant contributions of contemporary composers of both melody and harmony such as Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi-Bach, Tyagaraja-Mozart, Dikshitar-Beethoven in various cities, bringing together diverse artists, orchestras, scholars, students and listeners.
• Conduct seminars on melharmony or involving scholars of both melody and harmony
• Support presentation of melharmony lectures/papers in relevant conferences in various parts of the world
• Encourage theoretical research in Melharmony with respect to exploring new Western Classical / Jazz or other style harmonies centered on evolved melodic systems from any part of the world
• Support presentation of publications and scholarly articles on Melharmony in academic conferences and musical journal.

Exposure, Education & Engagement:

• Bring in renowned artistes for residencies/performances specially designed for young audiences and students & enable them expand their musical horizons and knowledge of various genres and cultures.
• Propagate aural learning of advanced concepts for students of all levels via music through original compositions.
• Showcase similarities between such a diverse systems, that can lead to a positive appreciation of the contrasts between them.
• To highlight sophisticated melodic concepts to audiences used to harmony through compositions and arrangements.
• To provide grants and scholarships to students and composers with potential
• To conduct competitions and award prizes and scholarships to talented Melharmony solo/ensemble performers.
• Connect K-12 students with the local community through partnerships with other schools and art organizations.

Some of the activities that the Melharmony Foundation has initiated and carried out include: 

•  Twin Composer Melharmony Festivals and other concerts: The MF pioneered the concept of  which celebrates the works of two master composers of melodic and harmonic traditions, who happened to share the same timeline.  Past festivals of the Foundation since 2013 include Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi-Bach Festival, Tyagaraja Mozart Festival, Dishitar-Beethoven Festival and  Shastri-Schubert Festival. Swati Tirunal – Mendelssohn Festival is being celebrated in 2022. These multi day events have featured hundreds of  celebrity as well as budding musicians and dancers culminating in a climactic Melody, Harmony and Melharmony concert. Besides, the MF has organised several other music and dance concerts in cities like New York, Dallas, San Jose, Austin, Detroit, Minneapolis, Chicago, Ithaca etc by leading artists. (Read more below.)
• Musicians’ Covid Relief Fund (MCRF): The pandemic was more than a nightmare for thousands of artists in countries like India.  With Government support minimal for artists, the MF raised over $75,000 to help artists in need in 2020. Several artists continue to be supported, post the pandemic.
• Melharmony with School Orchestras: The MF has facilitated a number of School Orchestral collaborations with leading artists which include concerts and residencies in Madison, Middleton, Sun Priarie, Minneapolis etc. 
• Courses and Classes:  The MF has conducted Summer Courses in Eastman School of Music, NY, University of Wisconsin, Madison as well as other Camps and courses, aimed to empower students, scholars, artists and composers to create high quality music. Its 10-month Melharmony Residency in Sun Prairie & Middleton School Districts (Apr 2015-Feb 2016) culminated in a concert in which over 200 students performed the piece, Sheltered. There have been several lecture demonstrations conducted by the MF in Northside Elementary School, Middleton High School, Memorial High School, Oregon High School, Sun Prairie High School, Glacier Creek Middle School, Music Makers, and in Ridegeview, Roundrock, TX, to name a few. The Foundation is planning to open up Online Melharmony Educational options in the near future.
• Environmental Initiatives and Climate Literacy and Action Drive: The MF created the environmental advocacy, Planet Symphony in 2019 to the Combat Climate Crisis (CCC) in various ways.  The MF produced perhaps the largest virtual symphony of its kind, Climatrix Symphony to raise awareness about the need to prevent an environmental meltdown and save the planet.  This featured over 300 artists from 35 countries on 50 different instruments and raised awareness regarding the need to save the planet.   The MF raised some funds for initiatives such as the UW’s Mahila Microgrids, a sustainable energy project for impoverished communities in various parts of the world.   It aims to raise lots more to support Solar, Wind and other sustainable energy initiatives, given the need to light up the dark homes of around 1.1 billion people in the planet who do not have basic electricity even today. (Read more below.)
• Melharmony was introduced in Germany in 2017, through the Melharmony Festival in partnership with the City of Göttingen.

Melharmony concerts featuring Classical, Jazz, Rock and World Music stars have been held in several parts of the world over the years. 

The Twin-Composer Melharmony Festivals initiated in 2013 in cities like Madison, Chicago, Minneapolis etc have blazed a new trail in world music with their unique approach of featuring master-composers who influenced the development of melody and harmony in different parts of the world. Prominent Western composers include J S Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Mendelssohn who were paired with Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi, Tyagaraja, Muttuswami Dikshitar, Shyama Shastri (& descendents) and Swati Tirunal respectively. The festival in 2025 will be devoted to Muttuswami Dikshitar (250th Birth Anniversary) & Beethoven.

Typical Twin Composer festivals feature

(a) Traditional melodic works

(b) Harmony centric compositions and

(c) Melharmonic creations and arrangements specially commissioned by the Foundation.

The festivals include concerts by professional as well as student orchestras and artists, dance & theater presentations, competitions, and at times include interactive panel discussions/academic sessions/lectures on the works of the featured composers.

These have enthralled and engaged diverse audiences and enhanced deeper appreciation among them for systems other than their own.

Melharmony in Europe & UK and other countries

Melharmony premiered in Oct 2000 in UK and subsequently, concerts with European Orchestras had been held in Germany, Switzerland etc. In Aug 2017, the city of Goettingen in Germany hosted a 3-day Melharmony Festival featuring a handpicked Quintet from the Gottingen Symphony led by John Sebastian Sommer as well as artists of Euro Jazz Ensemble Jurgen Bliebel (Piano) & Raimond Moritz (Sax). The Melharmony concert by the Goettingen Youth Symphony conducted by Daniel Eismann was an added attraction. Melharmony concerts have also been held in India featuring world-class artists.

Melharmony Festivals for Climate Crisis

The Melharmony Festival in Madison, WI on Nov 11 & 12, 2017 was among the first to raise awareness and funds for the Combating Climate Change (CCC) Project of the Melharmony Foundation. The Foundation has since presented several such events to raise funds or awareness for environmental action in various cities and also supported and engaged with students, who are the rightful inheritors of this planet.

Melharmony Foundation is deeply committed to create and make its paradigm-shifting music socially relevant as well. One of its primary objectives in this direction is the CCC (Combating Climate Crisis) Project with the twin objectives of raising awareness and funds to promote a shift to sustainable energy options across the globe, especially among impoverished communities. 

Recently, the Foundation has teamed up with the University of Wisconsin (UW) and is in the process of establishing strategic partnerships with other organizations. The Melharmony Festival on 11 & 12 Nov, 2017 in Madison will be the first of a series of events dedicated to raise for the CCC project, which focuses on Solar, Wind and other sources-based Micro Grids.  A substantial part of the surplus revenues from donations will be donated to UW project and/or set apart for similar initiatives by other collaborators in Asia, Africa, South America etc.

The Foundation will not focus on direct implementation of the project but only to donate to collaborating specialists like UW College of Engineering, who have gained a reputation for expertise and leadership in this area.

Light up a home… or a community!

The tentative costs to set up Micro Grids per household is between $350-400 and for a community of 100 homes is about $35,000-40,000.  The Foundation requests

• Individuals to adopt at least one household each and light up one house
• Corporate houses to adopt at least one hamlet of about 30-50 households at about $20,000 each
• Match donations collected in events to double/triple the revenues
• here are options to adopt partial communities as well.

It is envisaged that the maintenance and running costs of these Micro Grids will be the responsibility of the communities themselves.  For more details, please email us.

Other goals and action plans

The CCC project also aims to educate decision makers as well as the rest of the people about the urgency for a highly proactive approach from every front to reduce and/or eliminate dependence on fossil fuels and take every possible step to use alternate energy sources.  The Foundation aims to act in various ways – some symbolic and some proactive to counter climate change.  The Foundation’s action plans include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Competitions for professional Composers to create new music designed to raise awareness on Climate Crisis.
• Essay/speech/debate/creation of new music Competetions for students and and fundraiser events featuring the best talents
• Get artists, actors, sportspersons, thinkers and action leaders from every part of the world to be Ambassadors of Planet Earth and persuade them to record videos on CCC and also galvinise their fans for at least 2 minutes in every event of theirs.
• Professional shows raise awareness and funds for Micro-grids, water desalination and other projects.
• Collaborate with field leaders and research organisations in this arena to help them spread their findings through complementary events.
• Collaborate with like minded NGOs and international bodies including the UN
• Enlist the future inheritors of the planet – namely student bodies, orchestras, jazz bands and ensembles to participate in events aimed to be powerful voices for CCC.
• Collaborate with professional symphonies and noted ensembles across the world to present specialised events highlighting the Climate issues.