Creative Curiosity: A Conversation with Ramakrishnan Kumaran

Interview by Christina Vermeulen

From classical flute to beatboxing, from storytelling to the Nashville studio scene, Ramakrishnan Kumaran has built a musical identity that refuses to fit neatly into a single category. At the center of that journey is a decade-long artistic collaboration with composer Herman Beeftink, whose music has inspired him from his teenage years through his professional career. Ahead of his Chicago Flute Club recital, workshop, and masterclass, Rama reflects on the experiences that have shaped his artistry and his ongoing search for new ways to connect with audiences and fellow musicians.

Your musical career has taken some fascinating paths beyond the traditional classical flute world. How would you describe the musical identity you’ve developed for yourself?

What a great opening question. At heart, I’m just a flute player. Whatever else I’m doing — reading ルリドラゴン, flatpicking, singing in church, clubbing with friends — whenever my heart beats fast, I wanna “play my flute about it.”

You’ve studied and explored everything from classical flute and historical performance to other instruments, storytelling, and contemporary techniques. What connects these seemingly different interests for you?

The stage. At home, I pace in circles around the room, reciting and practicing stuff that makes my heart race. Then I make a concert program about it. Sometimes I show my work onstage! (Like playing my banjo or doing a slam poem.) Other times I keep you guessing. (Why does he play Poulenc like that? How did he decide on this concert program? I’ve never heard this before!) But I’m not mysterious, just excited about a million different things. There ain’t enough time to explain all my influences!

Let’s go back to the beginning of your relationship with Herman Beeftink. What do you remember about your first experience performing his music?

The first time I heard Herman’s music was when my high school teacher, Yamaha Performing Artist Tracy Harris, premiered “Wings.” That was in 2012 at her studio recital in Visalia, CA, and I played there too. I was fifteen years old. When Herman heard me there and scouted me, nobody had any idea how big this thing would get.

What began as a performance encounter eventually developed into a collaboration spanning roughly a decade and numerous recordings. How did that relationship evolve from those early sessions into the artistic partnership you have today?

My first recording sessions were full of praise and gentle guidance. Herman was thrilled with every new experiment, and already seemed to have a clear idea what he wanted to try next. Since then, I’ve recorded for him from California, Nashville, and the Netherlands. He’s supported me all the way through college, grad school, and now in my IRL (in real life) career! He’s influenced my playing style as much as any of my teachers did. Over the years, he started writing more and more challenging music, specifically for me to play, and we kept pushing the limits of what’s possible. He’s got a keen imagination that drives him as a composer, and my job is to help take his vision to the finish line.

For flutists encountering Beeftink’s music for the first time, how would you describe his musical language? What makes a piece unmistakably “Beeftink”?

His musical language is DESCRIPTIVE. Every moment of a Beeftink piece describes a scene. Take a look at his program notes. Notice how every part of the piece matches up with a person, place, or event in the program note? That’s because Herman writes his music based on scenes in his head. When he writes, the work is done when he can listen from beginning to end and watch the scene replay in his mind.

You’ve performed and recorded many of Beeftink’s works. Are there particular pieces that have been especially meaningful to you, or that have revealed something new to you each time you’ve returned to them?

I have a special nostalgia for pieces such as “Spring,” which I recorded for Herman ten years ago. It’s a time capsule of how I used to play. No matter how young and inexperienced I was as a high schooler, Herman always brought out the best in my playing. So when I listen now, it’s like, “wow, that was cool!” and also, “look how far we’ve come!”

What have you learned about being a performer, and perhaps about yourself as an artist, through working so closely with a living composer?

Basically, never work in a vacuum. Get a second pair of ears on your work, so your perspective stays fresh. Build trust in someone who gives you clear feedback, and when you play for them, don’t hold back.

You have an unusually broad perspective on Beeftink’s work. What do you think audiences might discover about his music through this Chicago Flute Club recital?

It’s so cool to be a part of Herman’s work. I hope you see the love that goes into it, and how you can make the music your own, just like I’ve gone off and made it my own.

What musical questions are you asking yourself at this stage of your career that you weren’t asking ten years ago? What are you curious about now?

I have different role models now. After three years learning the Nashville studio scene, now it’s time to figure out my own place in the commercial music industry. Plus, I’m becoming a stronger player! Recently, I took my first orchestra auditions ever, while building my solo profile with new programs and sponsorships. Bottom line, how do I become the strongest flutist AND the smartest operator? I want the strength and savvy to make bold career moves and take others with me on the way up.

The afternoon includes an interactive workshop on beatboxing and contemporary flute techniques. What do you want participants to be able to do when they walk out of the workshop that they couldn’t do when they walked in?

I want y’all to get bitten by the beatbox bug, so that you WANT to spend your car rides jamming on your favorite songs just like I do, matching the drum track beat for beat until your whole mouth gets dry and you need a drink of water. As a career flutist, I use beatbox to be a part of the music I love (hip-hop, EDM, J-pop, lo-fi).

Finally, what would you say to a Chicago-area flutist who is considering coming to the recital, workshop, and masterclass? 

Come say hi! Let’s make this an unforgettable experience together.