Kamala Sankaram

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Praised as “one of the most exciting opera composers in the country” by The Washington Post, Kamala Sankaram moves freely between the worlds of experimental music and contemporary opera. Known for pushing the boundaries of form and style, she has created work for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (as 2023 artist-in-residence), an opera for the trees of Prospect Park, a techno-noir featuring live datamining of the audience and a chorus of 25 singing tablet computers, and the world’s first virtual reality opera, among other pieces. She has been commissioned by the Glimmerglass Festival (as 2022 artist-in-residence), Washington National Opera, Houston Grand Opera, the PROTOTYPE Festival, and Creative Time, and she is currently a composer-in-residence at Minnesota Opera as part of their new works cohort. As a biracial Indian American and trained sitarist, Kamala has drawn on Indian classical music in many of her works, including Thumbprint, A Rose, Monkey and Francine in the City of Tigers, and the Jungle Book, a newly expanded version of which will premiere in December 2024 at Washington National Opera.

Also an accomplished performer, Kamala has been hailed as "an impassioned soprano with blazing high notes" (Wall Street Journal). Notable collaborations have included works with Anthony Braxton, the LA Philharmonic, and the Wooster Group, among others. She is also the leader of Bombay Rickey, an operatic Bollywood surf ensemble. Dr. Sankaram holds a PhD from the New School and is currently a member of the composition faculty at the Mannes College of Music.

Jungle Book at Washington National Opera