Apsara Kasiraman: Classical Musician and Equestrian
Apsara Kasiraman ’22 is a classical musician and equestrian from Agoura Hills, California. Currently, she studies piano with Rina Dokshitsky and music composition with Michael McLean at the Colburn School in Los Angeles and takes horseback riding lessons with trainers Janie and Susie Postel at the Foxfield Riding School. In the past, she has also studied music theory with Kathy Sawada, violin with Henry Gronnier, and orchestral conducting with Maxim Eshkenazy at the Colburn School.
Having played the piano since she was three and the violin since she was six, Apsara began her musical pursuits early on as an instrumentalist. Her interest in composing informally started when she decided to write some music right after her first formal music theory class, which she took at age five under the tutelage of Kathy Sawada at the Colburn School. In fifth grade, Apsara started formal composition lessons with Michael McLean, a composition teacher at the Colburn School, and she went on to participate in the Los Angeles Philharmonic Nancy and Barry Sanders Composer Fellowship Program in the ninth and tenth grades.
Since she began formally composing, Apsara has found that her knowledge as a composer and her knowledge as an instrumentalist complement each other. From her experience as an instrumentalist, she can understand how both the keyboard and string instruments work, and she values having the “ability to play [her] own pieces, especially piano and violin pieces” and being able to “try things out on [her] own.” She also believes that being an instrumentalist helps her learn great music from the past that can help to inform her work as a composer.
Now, what Apsara enjoys most about composing is the freedom to do what she wants as an artist. Though there can be practical constraints to her composition—“for instance, if I’m writing it for a certain musician or group of musicians, I have to follow the instrumentation and other guidelines they give me”—she ultimately enjoys “having the freedom of being a composer and being able to express what I want in a [creative] medium other than writing or visual art.” Reflecting on how she sees music as a medium, Apsara believes music to be a “universal language”: “No matter who you are or where you're from or what your background is, music can have a really powerful effect and there's nothing that can replace that.”
Recalling experiences that have stood out to her in her years as a musician, Apsara notes that she has particularly enjoyed attending summer music festivals and participating in her fellowship program, explaining, “Pretty much any opportunity I get to have my music performed or played by real musicians versus just computer software, I always cherish those moments when my music comes to life.” Most recently, Apsara has been particularly proud of a project she worked on with the Musical Mentors Collaborative, where she wrote a piece commemorating victims of COVID-19. She also had her first iTunes release, a short song called “To A Star,” written for opera and Broadway star Zachary James.
On the equestrian side, Apsara first rode horses before kindergarten but quit shortly after riding a particularly frisky horse. Around two years ago, though, she went trail riding in Sonoma, helping her to rediscover her passion for horses. Now, she rides at Foxfield Riding School, a local barn, and finds horses to be her other main passion alongside music. “[Horses] definitely are a coping mechanism for me and they definitely keep me sane,” Apsara shares about her experience with horseback riding. “Especially with COVID, it’s one of the only things that I can actually go out for because all my music stuff has been done through remote learning, but for horses, I still get to go out and be in nature and it's really nice.”
Aside from composing music and riding horses, Apsara spends her free time listening to music of all genres, spending time with family and friends, and traveling whenever possible.
On coming to OHS, Apsara entered OHS as a full-time student in eighth grade, primarily because it provided the flexibility for her to pursue music at her current level without sacrificing academic rigor. Now, having been at OHS for the past four years, she has particularly appreciated the quality of teaching, the challenging classes, and the amazing people she has met through OHS.
Beyond OHS, Apsara plans to study a combination of finance and music in college. She is considering going into arts administration, conducting, or film and video game composition in the future, but she is keeping her options open as she continues her academic and musical pursuits.
5 Questions with Apsara Kasiraman
Pixel Journal: What are up to five of your favorite songs from your current playlist?
Apsara Kasiraman: In no particular order:
“The Nights” by Avicii
“Hollywood’s Bleeding” by Post Malone (or literally any Post Malone song - I’m a huge Post Malone fan)
“Country Roads” by John Denver
“Scheherazade” by Rimsky-Korsakov
Any Mahler Symphony (I love Mahler’s music)
PJ: What’s one piece of advice for your fellow OHSers?
AK: Use your time wisely. There are only 24 hours in a day, so prioritize and plan so you can make the most of every single day.
PJ: What could you give a 40-minute presentation on with absolutely no preparation?
AK: Anything vaguely music-theory related, whether it be counterpoint or minimalism or Mahler or pop music and its influences.
PJ: What’s your favorite OHS class?
AK: I don’t have one. Every class I have taken at OHS has expanded my horizons and forced me to think critically, and there’s always something that I like about each class I’ve taken.
PJ: If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time?
AK: If I didn’t have to sleep, I’d do more of everything I already do. I’d compose more, play piano more, start taking formal violin lessons again, and ride horses more. I’d probably travel more, too.
Apsara’s music is on YouTube and SoundCloud. “To A Star” is available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, and Tidal.