Pooja Viswesh: UVA Arts Council Distinguished Artist Award in Music (2025)
Pooja Viswesh is a remarkable multi-faceted artist. She came to UVA with advanced knowledge and skills in Indian ragas, including confident performance with microtonal pitches. At UVA, she has developed further superb skills in scat singing, rap, popular music, and songwriting. She studies voice with jazz singer Stephanie Nakasian. She sings in a local hardcore punk band and participates in the University Singers. She has flourished in Music Department courses across a wide range of topics, among them Studies in 17th and 18th Century Music, the Creative Music Ensemble, Writing Rap, Strategies for Indie Artists, and more.
She is fluent in three languages. Her instructors agree that she is the kind of student they most enjoy working with. She is curious, and learns and grows quickly, always responding creatively to faculty feedback. She is a joyful and enthusiastic presence. She is currently creating an album of songs, drawing on the many styles of singing and musical creation in which she is proficient. The goal of the album is to create a contemplative space for listeners, inviting meditation and introspection along with intercultural outreach. In the album, she explores music’s potential to heal, connect, and foster growth. At this time her album is about half completed. Its songs use herself and other vocalists, digital drum tracks, her own writing for string quartet, and other media. While not yet an advanced producer, she has teamed with Miller Art Scholar Maxwell Mitchell, who is both producing Pooja’s tracks and teaching her valuable production skills. It is exhilarating to see a student exploring so many ways of relating to music at a high level of accomplishment, and bringing them together in an exhilarating, highly original project. Pooja plans to attend medical school after graduating. She will continue her involvement with music performance and creation, and especially her exploration of the uses of music in healing. With her abundant musical skills, we are certain she will bring something unique and valuable to her future patients and many others around her.
This article and photo are from the UVA Arts Council webpage
You can listen to "the destination" on Spotify or Apple Music.