Ashwin Suseendran

Ashwin Suseendran is a multi-instrumentalist and teacher based in the Bay Area. He was born in New Jersey, then graduated with honors from Philadelphia's Temple University, majoring in Jazz/Classical Piano Performance and Music Education while minoring in Geography and Urban Studies. Ashwin is a PhD Student in Cross-Cultural Musicology at UC-Santa Cruz, where his work explores immersive, collaborative experiences for music students, impacts of live music on local communities, improvisational practices, and jazz fusion. He performs solo and with bands across California and the Northeastern US, and teaches private lessons and music classes at preschools, elementary schools, and middle schools around the Bay Area. Outside of music, he enjoys sports, hiking, biking, and motorcycling as well as exploring the Bay Area's burgeoning arts scene.

Honors and Awards:

2022: Regents Fellowship - UCSC

2022: Pennsylvania Music Educators Association/Society for Music Teacher Education Award for Excellence in Scholarship - Temple University

2020: Vice Provost Arts Grant for mridangam, tabla, and fusion research - Temple University

2019: Rida Davis Scholarship for Service in Music Education - Temple University