The music of Ananda is expansive, joyful and inspiring. It is also a gift from Swami Kriyananda, the founder of Ananda worldwide, to be used as a tool for self-transformation and spiritual growth. “Inherent in this music are all the principles of our path.” Swami Kriyananda
Please join us for an evening of Divine Joy with musicians who have given their lives, their musical expertise and their whole-hearted devotion to expressing divine truth through the music of Ananda and offer it with a spirit of gratitude and fun.
“Sound or vibration is the most powerful force in the universe.” Paramhansa Yogananda
Bhagavati received her Master of Music in flute performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. For many years she performed and recorded with a number of orchestras and chamber ensembles in the greater Bay Area, including the San Francisco Opera and The Women’s Philharmonic. She began focusing on music as a ministry after coming to Ananda in 1998. Bhagavati plays on various Crystal Clarity CDs, such as Secrets of Love; Relax: for Flute and Cello; and I Came From Joy).
In 2002, she moved to Ananda Assisi (Italy), where she toured for two years as part of an Ananda singing group. Later, she and her husband, Ramesha—who are both Ananda ministers—helped lead the meditation group in Lugano (Switzerland), where they also taught meditation classes to adults and children. They moved to the United States in 2006 to participate more fully in the music ministry at Ananda Village in northern California, and began performing and recording together regularly.
Bhagavati and Ramesha moved to Los Angeles in the fall of 2010 and now head up the Ananda LA music ministry, as well as performing with the LA Joy Singers.
Ramesha began his formal music training with classical guitar at the age of seven. After switching instruments at thirteen, he received his Diploma in violin performance from the Music Conservatory in Como (Italy). But by the time he had finished his studies he had become disillusioned with music as a career and instead became a music teacher in his hometown of Lugano, Switzerland. During this time he shifted his musical focus to studying voice with Swiss soprano, Giovanna Zaugg-Casella. Years later, during repeated visits to the Ananda meditation and retreat center in Assisi (Italy), Ramesha was introduced to Inner Quest Music, and as he tuned into it more deeply he felt himself changing. His love of the violin was rekindled and he began to play again. But now, music has a completely different meaning for him. He realizes that what matters most is not how well he plays or sings, but rather how open he is as a channel for blessings to flow through the music and touch people’s hearts.
Ramesha met his wife, Bhagavati, when they performed together at Ananda Assisi and moved with her to the United States in 2006 in order to participate more fully in the music ministry of Ananda. Ramesha is in demand as a vocal instructor; in addition to in-person lessons, he teaches online to students throughout the world (vocalbliss.net).
Ramesha and Bhagavati moved to Los Angeles in the fall of 2010 and now head up the Ananda LA music ministry, as well as performing with the LA Joy Singers.
