Physical scores can be purchased through J.W. Pepper here.

Svara-lila was commissioned by Alarm Will Sound for the 2012 Mizzou New Music Summer Festival.

The title, composed of two Sanskrit words, “svara” meaning musical note and “lila” loosely meaning play, refers to methods of manipulation of an 8-note pitch collection, which is derived from a conflation of two closely related Indian modes (ragas). More than just notes in a scale, a raga traditionally evokes strong emotions and moods. The exceedingly lovely and expressive ragas used to form my pitch collection are generally associated with sadness and longing. Thus, the piece begins with an expansive, slow progression of dissonant harmonic sonorities that explore various intervallic relationships within the pitch collection. Simultaneously, the top notes of the progression form the basis of a recurring modal theme that guides the entire structure of the piece. As the slow and dramatic growth unfolds, the modal nature of the pitch collection is gradually revealed through increasingly active melodic and rhythmic gestures. The piece remains harmonically driven to the very end when the previously unresolved main theme returns in full force only to have its final resolution undermined by achingly conflicting sonorities whose colliding dissonances linger in the air to the last moment, denying the much anticipated release.

The text for Doubt was derived from public domain versions of the Bible as well as from these websites with permission: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org; http://www.antideathpenalty.org. It is not meant as a diatribe but is simply an expression of my deeply personal thoughts on the troubling issue of capital punishment.

Shadja-maalika: Modal Illusions was commissioned by a consortium of ensembles through CBDNA (College Band Directors National Association), spear-headed by Andy Mast at Lawrence University. The piece has been released by Mark Records on "Lawrence University Conservatory of Music Wind Ensemble" album.

The piece is a journey through the moods and colors of various Indian ragas, or modes. The title is a play on the word Raga-maalika, an Indian musical form where the music traverses many ragas within one composition while keeping the same shadja, or tonal center (“Do” in western music). Conversely, in Shadja-maalika, (literally, “garland of shadja”), the tonal center itself is shifted to bring about the modulation to new modes. At pivotal points, a new note seemingly outside the mode appears and gradually reveals itself as the true tonal center, implying that the previous harmonic hierarchy was an illusion. The opening motive in the bass clarinet is the common thread, recurring frequently to confirm and highlight the unique characteristics of each new mode. As with much of my recent work, Shadja-maalika blends a melodic and rhythmic structure influenced by the Indian tradition with Western harmonic and formal concepts.

Layaanjali was commissioned and premiered by the Lawrence University Saxophone Studio for the 2010 Lawrence University "Kaleidoscope" Concert.

It is a short piece offering us (anjali) rhythmic permutations (laya) and combinations of multiple pitch modalities above a single tonic. Built entirely out of the initial motive, which acts as a single-minded driving force, the piece explores the use of minimal melodic material within a homogenous timbral field.

To Be Heard was part of a consortium commission spear-headed by Gretchen Renshaw James (Hendrix College) and Andrew Davis (Reavis High School). Other commissioners included Matthew Arau (Lawrence University), Paul Kile (Edina High School), Jeff Doebler (Valparaiso University) and William Perrine (Concordia University).

This piece follows a programmatic narrative that represents the perpetual struggle of discovering oneself, fully expressing oneself, and placing ourselves within or outside of societal norms. The concept for this piece grew out of reflections on my own experience as an Indian-American teenager and young adult, grappling with issues of identity, individualism, and societal expectations.

A music ensemble is an apt role model to explore interactions between individual and collective. Each player in the ensemble is a critical member who must project their individuality while also contributing to the larger whole. This piece provides a space for each musician to explore different modes of interaction with one another, moving through states of cacophony, confusion, pressure, chaos, but ultimately, collaboration and harmony.

In Varietate Gaudium was commissioned by Aaron Given for the Olentangy Hyatts and Olentangy Liberty Middle Schools.

"In Varietate Gaudium" loosely translates into "glory in diversity." It is a different take on the European Union motto "In Varietate Concordia," translating as "united in diversity." This programmatic piece is loosely autobiographical in nature. When first thinking about writing for Grade 3 band, my mind drifted back to my own middle school days. My family emigrated from India to the U.S. when I was just starting 5th grade. I began reflecting on my experience as an immigrant child entering an unfamiliar culture and forging a new identity that respects and celebrates my cultural duality. The score is accompanied by a programmatic narrative that connects specific musical events to a fictionalized story about a young child, perhaps 9-10 years old traveling from her country and encountering a new culture.

Chroma Mosaic was commissioned by two middle school directors, Jesse Dochnahl (C.S. Porter Middle School, Missoula, MT) and Carrie Winkler (Sheboygan Falls Middle School, Sheboygan Falls, WI) as part of the "Mission to Commission" project, funded by the Plum Creek Foundation and the Kohler Foundation, Inc. The Mission to Commission Project was a collaborative partnership that provided an educational opportunity for yearlong creativity, communication, and collaboration for two middle school band programs as students began writing their own music.

Students composed a melody for their own instrument, voted on the top melodies from their school, and submitted them to me. These melodies were to be the principal musical material for this composition and so I studied them carefully, categorizing them according to style and mood. I interwove salient fragments from several of these melodies to compose a work in a dramatic and narrative style, moving through a variety of moods and textures such as a mysterious, dark bass line, a full chorale-like tutti, cascading downward scales, timid and hesitant figures, bold heroic statements, and finally concluding with a gentle lullaby.

Physical scores can be purchased through J.W. Pepper here.

This piece was commissioned by the Flute/Cello Commissioning Circle, which is a consortium of four duos: Terra Voce (VA), Exorior Duo (Canada), Brownard Duo (MN), and Keowee Chamber Music (NC). The piece has been released on Millenial Masters Vol. 4 by Ablaze Records.

Dviraag is a fabricated word taken from the Sanskrit prefix "dvi" meaning "two" and the word "raag" loosely meaning "melodic mode." The pitch material for this piece is entirely based on a combination of two complementary pentatonic modes. The primary rhythmic material, introduced towards the beginning by the cello, was derived from a Carnatic vocal exercise I fondly remember learning as a child, in India. Of all the beginner’s exercises I learned, this one always stood out as being surprisingly challenging and unusual in its subdivisions. This exercise has become the basis for an exploration of intricate rhythmic subdivisions grouped into salient short phrases that recur throughout the piece in various contexts.

Physical scores can be purchased through J.W. Pepper here.

This piece was commissioned by flutist Lisa Bost-Sandberg for her Kingma System(R) flute with Robert Dick's Glissando Headjoint(R) in order to expand the repertoire for this new instrument.

The title Utthishta means “arise” and is a reference to a famous Sanskrit poem called Suprabhatam. The piece draws on the lofty imagery presented at the opening of the poem which starts with a call to awaken the deity Venkatesh (Vishnu) so he may commence the day’s duties, which in his case is to bless and make auspicious the entire world. I used a transcription of the rhythmic and pitch patterns of the complex and strident Sanskrit language in the poem as resource material. The opening of the piece is reminiscent perhaps of dawn and dreaming but quickly moves to a more vigorous and relentless intensity.

Physical scores can be purchased through J.W. Pepper here.

Bapu was commissioned in September 2008 by clarinetist E. Michael Richards. The piece has been released on Millenial Masters Vol. 3 by Ablaze Records.

Bapu, an homage to Mahatma Gandhi, is based on one of his favorite devotional songs. This song is so iconic of Gandhi that hearing it immediately conjures up his image in any Indian's mind. As with most Indian music, the basic song is a guideline, allowing for continuing melodic variations. The text of the original song praises Lord Raam, but Gandhi's version inserts Allaah into a Hindu song and thus proclaims universality of religion. In the finale of this piece, Gandhi's song is juxtaposed with another iconic Indian song, Vande Maataram, which evokes strong patriotic emotions in Indians, and certainly in myself. Both songs affect me deeply, as an Indian-American and as a person. While I have conflicted feelings on being a non-resident Indian, I consider America my home. These songs express the universality of culture and humanity and engender in me a "patriotism" for the entire world.

Here is a wonderful video performance by Isabelle Lepanto Gleitcher and Kristina Teuschler created in April 2022 as part of a fundraiser effort for the Madison New Music Festival.

This work was commissioned by soprano Hilary Dean. The poem is used with the permission of the poet Martin Espada.

As soon as I encountered this elegantly simple and poignant poem, I knew I wanted to set it to music. I was not concerned that the poem's language was not particularly well suited for a musical setting because I was deeply drawn to the simplicity with which it stated its strong message. While I understand the need for criminal punishment in any society, I have always been deeply troubled by the inevitable possibility (indeed, the reality) that innocent people might be punished. I am very sympathetic to victims of criminal acts, but I also regard the wrongly convicted as victims of criminal acts that are sanctioned by the state, the community, and indirectly, myself. In this piece, I tried to use the power of song to express the tragedy underlying the mundane situation depicted in Parole Hearing by Poet Laureate Martin Espada.

Mvt. 1: 0:00
Mvt. 2: 4:53
Mvt. 3: 10:46

Kalpitha [kul'-pi-thaa] is set in three attached movements and is structured around opposing ideas. Mvt. I juxtaposes two drastically different gestures, first abruptly, then more smoothly. In contrast, Mvt. II's stasis is itself in opposition to Mvt. I's fluidity. Mvt. III suddenly interrupts the stasis of Mvt. II and ultimately resynthesizes the chordal, scalar, and textural manifestations of the first two into a cohesive whole.

Please contact me directly at twocomposers@twocomposers.org to purchase score and parts.

Throughout this piece, there is a constrained sense of reaching for some goal that is never quite achieved, or a question (“kaylvi” in Tamil) that is never quite answered. Sudden interruptions continuously thwart the growth of musical energy, which is reined in several times before it can break through to the main climactic passage. At this climactic arrival, the main four-note motive that appears loudly in ensemble unison (first appearing in the flute after a restive introduction) has a questioning quality that is never really resolved. After a final gasp of high energy, the music tumbles down, giving up and giving way to a hesitant and forced composure.

With the current trials and tribulations that we are living through, I felt a strong urge to write an angry, intense piece. The Hindi word Pareeksha aptly captures the feeling of being tested by the political, environmental, and health challenges we face. As with much of my music, this piece draws from Indian ragas for source material. It is also heavily inspired by the spirited and driving rhythmic patterns found in Carnatic music (South Indian classical style). Although there is no specific narrative, the piece moves through emotions of anger, frustration, yearning, melancholy, restlessness, aggression, and oppression. Even so, there are moments of beauty and stillness, and at the very end, a sense of defeat leads to an unsettled peace.

Janani was commissioned by the Sequoia Chamber Players in 2008. It was re-worked for saxophone quartet in 2009.

The word Janani is traditionally used to address the Goddess and means life-giver, or mother. This piece is based on two Indian ragas, or modes, the first called Lalitha and the second called Ahiri. The piano opens with a drone-like gesture on E and the viola begins an exploration of the first mode. As the piece progresses, new pitches enter and there is a gradual shift to the second mode, with a new tonic on F#. The rhythmic energy grows as the viola introduces a new theme with varying pulses. While the bottom voices elaborate this theme, the violin soars above in a longer tempo with gestures similar to the viola's opening phrase. The intensity increases until all instruments come together at the end for a dramatic finale.

This piece is lovingly dedicated to my mother.

Physical scores can be purchased through J.W. Pepper here.

The original version of this work is for soprano and alto saxophone duo, though solo soprano and solo alto versions are also available.

This work was commissioned by saxophonists Sara Kind and Jesse Dochnahl. It was funded in part through a Kickstarter grant, a Fox Valley Community Arts Grant, and Lawrence University Distinctiveness Grant. It has been released on the Music from SEAMUS Volume 22 album, selected by popular vote by conference attendees. Many thanks to the I-Park, Wildacres, and Yaddo for providing peaceful inspiring environments in which to complete this piece.

The title is a play on words combining the keerthanam form in South Indian music with the Western term sonata. The mode invented for this piece models various aspects of the Indian concept of raga, with pitches grouped in complementary sets of chromatic gestures.

After the strident introduction establishes the mode, the piece follows the pallavi structure of a typical keerthanam, where an easily discernable refrain is repeated several times, with each variation becoming more elaborate. The electronic percussion resembles the intricate subdivisions created by Indian percussion and the atmosphere is playful, with the saxophonists trading repetitions and coming together in a heterophonic duet. Later the piece explores improvisatory styles of Indian concert pieces, with full active textures swirling around the lively saxophone interplay. By the end, the piece subsides with final restatements of the refrain, gradually melting into the persistent drone.

Much of Indian classical music is highly emotional and serious, which is also true of my music, but here I wanted to share the light, energetic aspect of Indian music and thereby infuse my own music with some frivolity!

Physical scores can be purchased through J.W. Pepper here.

Tantrums was commissioned by the DRAX duo (Leo Saguiguit and Megan Arns) with support from the Sinquefiled Charitable Foundation and the Mizzou New Music Initiative.

In the aftermath of the 2016 national election, I noticed an uncanny parallel between the morphology of my emotional response and my toddler’s tantrums. Periodic outbursts of wailing subside into simmering whimpers followed by an uneasy silence as we try to regain composure. Just as we catch our breath, allowing ourselves to be consoled, new thoughts retrigger the raging beast within, until finally, we have lost all energy for shouting and we reluctantly settle down. Perhaps rationality returns and beauty is rediscovered. Here is when a toddler’s Buddha mind, ever in the present moment, can be diverted back to play and laughter. But, the adult’s monkey mind drags us back into the past; frenzy and panic build again. Ultimately, though, we cannot bear this state of anxiety and we drift into a numb acceptance of reality.

This piece was commissioned by the BMI Foundation, Inc. for the Orchestra of St. Luke's festival "Notable Women: A Celebration of Women Composers."

By the River near Savathi is an exploration of the Carnatic raga called Shubhapantuvarali. I find this raga particularly moving because it has always evoked a sense of deep and intense sorrow in me. A sorrow associated with Weltschmerz, or world-pain. This emotion reminds me of a particular moment in one of my favorite books. It is the moment when Siddhartha, in Herman Hesse's great little novel, stands by the river and ponders the endless and pointless cycle of Samsara (the cycle of birth, suffering, death, and rebirth). The irony is that he is by the same river that he had crossed after his fortuitous meeting with the great Buddha in the town of Savathi. This time by the river, however, he feels nothing but intense misery and nausea about life.

The piece presents the various emotional inflections of sorrow inherent in the raga... sometimes slow and melancholic, sometimes furious, sometimes heart-breakingly longing, and sometimes resigned. Also fundamental to the piece is the simple gesture of a crescendo and decrescendo, rising and falling, slowly breathing in and out, like the endless cyclic motions of life.

(Recording performed by Hannah Maser at the National Flute Convention 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona.)

Physical score can be purchased through J.W. Pepper here.

Dancing, Still is a celebration and reflection of my past, present, and future composer self.

Twenty years ago, in 2003, I was a young Masterʼs student just entering the wide-open world of new music with a brand-new composition for solo flute and electronics called Alone, Dancing. In retrospect, it marked a turning point: the first piece of mine that remains in performance, the first piece to be presented at a professional conference, and the first piece that explored ways to integrate my Indian musical roots with my Western composition training.

Now, on this vicennial anniversary of Alone, Dancing, I found it poetic that I should be commissioned to create another solo flute composition, this time by the preeminent organization for flute music, the National Flute Association. So, I decided to create a reimagining of the materials and structural design of Alone, Dancing.

The original programmatic narrative for Alone, Dancing still holds for Dancing, Still: “With a lazy dance, she awakens to the day. Arrhythmically dancing alone, as in a dream, until she comes to full consciousness. Dancing to a strange meter, with an imaginary partner. At first steady but soon frenzied as she becomes consumed by her wild fantasy dance. Whirling like the frantic wind, seemingly out of control, until she collapses triumphantly to the floor.”

Physical score can be purchased through J.W. Pepper here.

This work was commissioned by oboist Sara Fraker. Please click here to visit Sara Fraker's website for a transcript of the live pre-concert conversation between Asha and Robin Wall Kimmerer at the premiere.

Program notes:
Lesson 1: Gratitude… for gifts from the earth; reciprocity… through attention and care for the gift-givers.
Lesson 2: Listening, paying attention… to our fellow Earth dwellers, the birds, insects, animals, trees, wind, water… a democracy of species.
Lesson 3: Animacy… of the wind, asserted by wind chimes… “to be the wind”

I thank Robin Wall Kimmerer for her beautiful and inspiring book Braiding Sweetgrass. I thank Sara Fraker for her collaborative spirit, wonderful imagination, and immense hard work to bring this project to fruition. This work weaves us together as three strands of a braid.

Mvt 1: 0:00
Mvt 2: 4:26
Mvt 3: 6:01
Mvt 4: 9:05
Mvt 5: 9:55

This work was commissioned by pianist Michael Mizrahi.

The piano is incredibly adept at changing moods suddenly and drastically; in one moment, it can be domineering and terrifying, and at the next, it can be delicate, docile, and nostalgic. The raga-based pitch language in this piece further enhances this through chromatic fluctuations that are akin to major and minor mode shifts. The piece’s five-movement structure is reminiscent of Bartok’s arch form, where the central movement is a centerpiece and the outer movements share similarities. Movements I and V are highly improvisatory in character and are loosely influenced by Bartok’s “Improvisations on a Hungarian Theme,” while Movement III has a more rigid rhythmic pace, at first light and playful but arriving at a thundering chordal ostinato. Movements II and IV function as interludes, exploring plucking and muting sounds as alternate sound-making techniques on the piano. This work was commissioned by my friend and colleague Michael Mizrahi.

Physical score can be purchased through J.W. Pepper here.

This work was commissioned by a consortium of tubists, lead by Stephanie Frye. It has been released on Ms. Frye's solo album Ursa by Mark Records.

On the tail of a blossoming gesture in the electronics, the tuba enters with a gentle, meditative dyad, Bb and C. At first these two pitches seem to have little affinity, Bb being posed as a stable tonal center and C as a contrasting unstable tone above. In the middle of the piece, however, the relationship of stable-unstable is reversed when the accompaniment poses C as the new center, making Bb an unstable tendency tone below. The other notes, first sounding above Bb and then C, are identical in each section, but shifting the tonal center creates new modal hierarchies, revealing unexpected affinities between the two regions. Thus, the simple and modest two-note opening sets up the pitch framework of the entire piece.

The piece also explores the different timbres of the tuba, its singing quality, its dark, deep bass, and its rhythmic agility. The electroacoustic accompaniment complements and contrasts these characteristics by providing a diverse soundscape in which the instrument is embedded. The accompaniment also sets the mood for each section, transforming from calm, sparse textures to a fuller, more dramatic background, and finally to a heightened melodic and rhythmic climax, before cascading back down to an unsettled tranquility.

This work was commissioned by guitarist Patrick Durek.

Time is but an infinite sequence of ephemeral moments that inevitably fade. I dedicate this piece to my husband from whom I had to live apart several years. Our surreal life of distance sharply focused my thoughts on the fleeting nature of time, which I wished to suspend when I was with my partner and which I wished to push forward when I was not. Though, all I could do is (im)patiently wait for the next brief ephemera of time together and agitatedly anticipate its obligatory passing. In the same way, this piece is caught between periods of uneasy calm and controlled urgency. The passive periods invoke the ringing nature of the instrument to suspend time, while the more active sections seem to wander endlessly. Neither is accomplished, of course, and the piece begins, proceeds, and ends as all pieces and all moments do.

Physical score can be purchased through J.W. Pepper here.

Alone, Dancing has been released on CD as part of the album Ambiance, produced by Beauport Classical.

The piece won 2nd prize at the Prix d'Ete Competition of 2004 and it has been performed at the National Flute Convention in New York City, as well as at various electronic festivals such as SEAMUS 2004 Conference and the Spark Festival 2007; Program Notes: With a lazy dance, she awakens to the day. Arrhythmically dancing alone, as in a dream, until she comes to full consciousness. Dancing to a strange meter, with an imaginary partner. At first steady but soon frenzied as she becomes consumed by her wild fantasy dance. Whirling like the frantic wind, seemingly out of control, until she collapses triumphantly to the floor.