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This week’s Story Circle features Carnatic jazz vocalist Aditya Prakash in conversation with NPR music contributor Betto Arcos. A native of Los Angeles, Aditya’s emotive voice reflects deep roots in South Indian classical music along with a love of jazz, qawwali (Sufi devotional singing), and more.

In this conversation, they discuss Aditya’s musical upbringing, his experience performing with the great Ravi Shankar as a teen, his current collaborations and experimentations, and the role of music as a “healing balm” in times of crisis.

As a celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, this Story Circle is offered as a contribution to “Care Package: Poems, Meditations, Films, and Other Cultural Nutrients for Times Like This,” curated and produced by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.