Smt. Divya Ramesh
Founder Director
Mrs. Divya Ramesh is the founder director of Saphalya Music Academy, CA, USA a South Indian classical music school that has been culturally enriching students through music since 2009. Hailing from a family of artists and cultural enthusiasts, Mrs. Divya was initiated into Carnatic Music at a very young age under the guidance of her beloved aunt Smt. Srilakshmi Raj, Bangalore, India, and with Smt. Sathyavathi Acharya, Bangalore, India. Currently, she is furthering her passion and interest in music under the tutelage of Karnataka Kalashree Tirumale Srinivas, Bangalore, India, and Nada Vallabha Delhi P. Sunderrajan, Chennai, India. She has also earned an Advanced Diploma in Shastra (Music) from Srividhya University, Florida, and continues to spread the knowledge of music by preparing students for music presentations and performances all over the United States.
At the Academy students of all ages are taught Carnatic Music, Devotional songs, and Bhajans. Mrs. Divya Ramesh prepares her students for certification exams in Carnatic Music through the SAMPADA certification done by SiliconAndhra in affiliation with (PSTU), NAAC Accredited Institution.
Recently she was also felicitated by SAMPADA and PSTU for exceptional service and for building a strong music foundation for aspiring students. She is the Master artist in Alliance for California Traditional Arts apprentice program for 2022-23
In addition to being a teacher, Mrs. Divya Ramesh is recognized by many organizations like Kannada Koota of Northern California, Lotus, Kalalaya, and local Bay Area Temples for her support and service to the community. She has served as a judge for several music competitions around the Bay Area, given Guest Speaker lectures in community colleges, and was also awarded the prestigious DRON(E)ACHARYA award from the Sangeet Samrat of the Carnatic Premier League. Recently, she was recognized as “GANA SEWA MANI” by the Academy of Indian Culture (AIC) and Sarvalaghu Percussion Arts Center (SPAC) for her relentless service to the cause of promoting Carnatic Music throughout the Youth.
Growing up in India, Mrs. Divya grew up by being a cultural counselor at Bal Bhavan summer camps where she taught music and led dramas on Indian historical mythology. She rendered her voice as a versatile child voice actor for the famous Jungle Book television series and is an auditioned artist for All India Radio. She also worked with eminent Drama artists like B.V. Karanth, Prema Karanth, and B. Jayashree. She has also worked as a TV anchor in her youth. In her recent years in India, Mrs. Divya Ramesh has been blessed with the opportunity to render Dasara Padagalu at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam and she has released an Audio CD called “Bhakti Sammilana” dedicated to the compositions of Haridasas and Annammacharya.
Since moving to the United States and establishing Saphalya Music Academy, Mrs. Divya Ramesh has been the core organizer of Dasa Smriti, a Haridasa Habba, a festival to promote and spread the rich literature Dasa Sahitya, for the past 9 years. In addition, she also organizes Purandara Vaibhava, a Bay Area-wide collaborative event organized to pay homage to the Father of Carnatic Music, Sri Purandara Dasaru. In the Bay Area, she continues to render her voice to numerous unique projects such as the Mahabharata Dance Drama, Suladi Antapura Geethegalu, and Panchtatva Darshana and provides narrations for dance ballets.
By being a subject matter expert in the field of Dasa Sahitya in the United States of America, Mrs. Divya Ramesh has been able to research and collect many valuable resources in this regard. Through her research and teachings, she has been able to sustain the cultural messages that Dasa Sahitya (Dasa Literature) provides and revive it in the current and future generations.
As such, she has been working towards empowering the youth with the meaningful messages of Haridasas by presenting rare Haridaasa compositions at Carnatic Idol Celebrations, organized by Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival, Maximum Media, and iCarnatic which were broadcasted worldwide on Kalaignar TV and RagamalikaTV.com. Furthermore, she presented “Bhakthi Sudha Sagara”, which are glimpses of the rich literature of Haridasas, for the program “Dasoham “ for a university program known as Sampada Sabha. She has been chosen by Sampada as a Convenor and Content Curator to develop the Dasa Sahitya Segment in the “Raga Sampada” project.
Furthermore, Mrs. Divya Ramesh works extensively in training young kids, laying a very strong foundation in the basics of Carnatic Music, which she believes is extremely important for any singer. She makes sure the curriculum is structured and includes many fun learning activities kindling the interest of the child to learn more as they master the concepts. Her style of teaching reinforces the 3 P's - Practice, Patience, and Perseverance. She aims at encouraging, nurturing talent, and bringing out the best in them all without compromising on quality. At Saphalya, she ensures every child is given attention to practice in groups and individually and gives ample opportunities to perform in public forums and festivals. Many of her senior students are now performing concerts and vocally supporting key events around the Bay Area.