Students from all over the world come together to learn, understand, and perform Indian music, which is what makes the Berklee Indian Ensemble so unique. AThe ensemble creates an opportunity for students to learn from each other and to create and explore Indian music; giving them the opportunity to make Indian music globally relevant. Anton Ariki Sten, is a Berklee student studying composition and electronic production and design at Berklee, and our resident guitarist. This week I sat down with Anton to learn more about him:


Why did you join the indian ensemble?

I was inspired by the music videos on the youtube channel. I saw it as an opportunity to understand not just the music, but the history behind the different elements that create the music.


 

Tell me a little about your background.

I’m originally from Polynesia’s Easter island. I moved to Sweden when I was five and began to study classical piano. In my teen years I started playing rock music and toured with a couple of bands. But then I realized it wasn’t what I wanted to do.

I see film music as the Rock music of the classical genre and that’s why I came to Berklee – to develop myself as a composer and a producer.


What has your experience with the ensemble been like?

When I’m traveling and meeting new people I always see them as global citizens. The people in the ensemble are very aware of what’s happening around the world and it is easy for me to relate to people like that. I find our interactions very inspiring and see myself being friends with all of them, even after Berklee. My most memorable moment was definitely the concert with Vijay Prakash in November 2015. The entire ensemble came together and worked towards the show and it was a great way to end that semester which had been an academically challenging one for most of us.


What are your thoughts on Indian music?

I listened to Indian music composed by artists like Ravishankar and A. R. Rahman before I became part of the ensemble, so I had an idea about it even though I didn’t completely understand it. Playing the music and experiencing it through the ensemble helped me learn and delve into the music at a deeper level. I’m curious to learn more about traditional indian music. I’d love to travel to India to go around and meet musicians to understand the music better.

To learn more about Anton visit his website here: http://www.antonariki.com/

About the writer: Purvaa Sampath is a vocalist at Berklee studying Music Therapy and Performance. She is currently a part of the Berklee Indian Ensemble and will be graduating in 2016. Purvaa

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