Bhairavi Raman is a skilled Indian-Australian violinist, interested in voicing bicultural identity through artistic expression.

She balances a portfolio career as an artist, curator and consultant.

Artist

Extensively trained in both Western Classical and South Indian Classical (Carnatic) forms, she blends concepts and techniques from both styles, using the violin to express her bicultural identity. She holds an A.Mus.A in violin awarded by the AMEB, and has pursued advanced training in Carnatic Music in India for the past 10 years. Her Carnatic music gurus are Sri S Varadarajan (India), Sri Murali Kumar (Aus.) and Sri Gopinath Iyer (Aus.).

She has fifteen years of performance experience across Australia and internationally, with over 400 performances to her name. She has played at some of South India’s oldest and most distinguished music venues, including two shows at the Madras Music Academy. Over the last decade, her creative practice has evolved from its conventional roots towards questioning the status quo, formulating new ideas, and reconciling compartmentalised identities.

Collaboration is at the heart of Bhairavi’s creative practice. She has produced acclaimed works in close partnership with local and international artists across disciplines including poetry, spoken word, movement, dance and theatre (see more).

Curator

Bhairavi runs a grassroots not-for-profit organisation called Gamaka, which aims to cultivate engagement in Carnatic music through carefully curated workshops and performances, with a focus on developing and amplifying the voices of emerging South Asian artists.

Since its inception six years ago, Gamaka has staged over 40 performances, providing performance opportunities to over 75 local artists, many of whom have not had a platform to perform for several years. More information about Gamaka can be found here.

Consultant

Alongside her creative career, Bhairavi is also a Director at a leading consulting firm. She is she is passionate about helping organisations bring out the best in their people. Working at the intersection of public policy and organisational development, she has over eight years’ experience in psychology, social policy, public sector culture and leadership.