A Conversation with Kamala Sankaram

On 15 June 2026, TORCHES continues with a conversation with composer and performer Kamala Sankaram, who moves freely between the worlds of experimental music, sound installation, and contemporary opera.

As a composer/performer, Kamala Sankaram is known for her “blazing high notes” (The Wall Street Journal) and her “strikingly original” (New York Times) music. She has created work for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (as 2023 Artist-in-Residence), an opera for the trees of Prospect Park (as winner of the 2021 Creative Time Open Call), an augmented reality music walk for Van Cortlandt Park, a techno-noir featuring live datamining of the audience, and the world’s first virtual reality opera, among other pieces. Commissions include the Glimmerglass Festival (as 2022 Artist-in-Residence), Washington National Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, the Prototype Festival, and Minnesota Opera, where she is currently a Composer-in-Residence. As a performer, notable appearances include Anthony Braxton’s Trillium E, Trillium J, GTM (Syntax) 2017, and Theatrical Improvisations; Meredith Monk’s Atlas with the LA Philharmonic, and The Wooster Group’s La Didone. Kamala is the leader of Bombay Rickey, an award-winning Operatic Bollywood Surf Ensemble.

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