All Classical Radio celebrates the 10th anniversary of On Deck with Young Musicians by following up with 10 of the musicians who were interviewed in the first season of the show. The series is hosted by All Classical intern Jahlysa Azaret.
Vocalist Geetha Somayajula reacts to her interview from 10 years ago, and shares her journey since then (which includes a degree from USC, a Fulbright year in South India, a stint at Price Waterhouse Cooper, and a current path to a dual Masters degree at Northwestern University). Geetha also shares that as a South Asian she has often felt misunderstood; she now finds purpose in helping people communicate and find a sense of belonging.
In this web exclusive, Geetha tell us the three things she hopes her students will take away from their time with her:
Click here to listen to Geetha’s 2014 interview.
The following is Geetha’s 2023 bio:
Geetha Somayajula is a strategy consultant, arts administrator and choral singer, currently based in Evanston, IL. She is currently earning dual master’s degrees in Business Administration and Design Innovation at Northwestern University. Prior to starting her master’s program, Geetha was a Senior Consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers, working with Fortune 500 clientele on their toughest customer experience challenges.
Additionally, she’s deeply involved in the arts community on the west coast, historically serving on the board of directors of Synchromy Music, a new music collective in Los Angeles, and Pacific Youth Choir, a children’s choir in Portland. As a singer, Geetha has performed in prestigious ensembles and festival choruses including the chorus of the Oregon Bach Festival, the ACDA National Collegiate Honor Choir, Northwestern’s Chapel Choir and the USC Chamber Singers. As the highlight of her academic work, Somayajula was awarded the U.S. Fulbright Scholarship to study the practice, performance, and pedagogy of Indian classical music. As a Fulbright Alumni Ambassador today, she actively recruits artists for the Fulbright program around the country.
Geetha holds bachelor’s degrees in Choral Music and Business Administration from the University of Southern California, and a professional certification in Orchestra Management from the League of American Orchestras.
