By Vaishnavi Josyula
Many students find their passion through school and the people around them. Senior Avinash Subramanian found his passion for music from his father and SpongeBob SquarePants and grew to perform at Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House.
He has been learning music since he was four, when his father introduced him to it, Subramanian said in a Google Meet interview. He initially learned Hindustani music and explored other forms as well, currently focusing on rock and roll. Subramanian loved watching SpongeBob SquarePants and picked up the clarinet to see if he could play better than Squidward Tentacles, he said.
“I stuck to the clarinet into seventh grade, in middle school, until I got bored playing the soprano clarinet, so I switched over to the bass clarinet at the end of my seventh grade year, and I’m still playing it till this year,” Subramanian said. “It [band] was on the rougher side for me in high school because it was a transitional thing; it was a lot more challenging … but I grew into my own within the band, because for two straight years, I’ve been the first chair at the top of concert band (Wind Symphony) as a first bass clarinet. I’ve always worn that as a badge of honor.”
Subramanian has also been a part of the Glee Club since his freshman year and is currently the tenor section leader. He participated in the concerts the club had in his freshman and junior years, and enjoyed bonding with his fellow members and developing lifelong friendships in a pressure-free environment, he said.
Subramanian has sung in various concert halls such as Carnegie Hall in New York and the Sydney Opera House in Australia last year. “I performed in Carnegie Hall on the main stage as a part of an international honor choir,” Subramanian said. “We had to record a classical song to submit … and I went with Elton John of all things … and they accepted it,” he remarked. “We performed a transitional choral piece … in New York, we did a piece based on Cherokee language.” He performed on the same stage as his musical idols, he added.
He auditioned to perform at the Sydney Opera House in August of 2019 after his father’s encouragement, Subramanian said. He and other musicians were organized into chaperone groups where they could connect and not only play music but also go sightseeing together, he added. He recalled performing a choral piece based on the Aboriginal language and remembered the rehearsals with Director Dr. Lynn Gackle.
The pandemic greatly affected Subramanian and his musical performances. “I was supposed to go to Carnegie Hall again this year, so I could perform in the ‘We Sing Pop!’ competition, but that got pushed back to June of next year,” Subramanian said. “Back in June, I was supposed to go to Vienna to perform in the Golden Hall. [As for the school band], we were supposed to go to Sonoma State back in March to perform at a world-class tier hall and Fresno State in the same month to perform at a music festival.”
Subramanian grew up listening to The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, and other primarily rock artists, Subramanian said. John Lennon made him more aware of social issues around the world with songs such as “Working Class Hero,” “Isolation,” “Gimme Some Truth,” and others, Subramanian said. The Who has affected his personality and fashion sense as their album ‘Quadrophenia’ helped him find himself in a harsh society, he added.
“A lot of the stuff I listen to is from the 1960s and 70s, so [my outfit] is a fine point to that,” Subramanian said, wearing a red shirt with intricate yellow patterns. When asked about music and how it impacts him, he said, “Almost all my friends I know are either through my musical connections or I know through someone who has a musical connection. It has always helped me develop my social circle and [has] influenced the person [I’ve become].”
Connecting with people and musicians all over the world makes his interest worthwhile, Subramanian said. He said he still remembers two of the friends he met while performing at the Sydney Opera House. Also, he would like to evoke joy and elation with his music, he added.
Subramanian offered advice to other students who want to pursue music. “Just dive into it,” he said. “If it’s a passion, you’ll know it, and you’ll want to continue it no matter what. Be shameless about it, show off your interests and be like ‘That’s right, I’m a musician and I love it.’ Put your heart and soul into it because that’s what’s important at first.”