Boilerplate (≈ 70 words)
The Chandrika & Ranjan Tandon Center for the Sacred Arts at the Hindu University of America is the first East Coast institution devoted to classical and contemporary Hindu performing arts. Housed on the HUA campus, it presents a year-round season of music, dance, and drama; trains the next generation of artists through afterschool, adult, and residency programs; commissions new work rooted in dharmic traditions; and welcomes outside ensembles, faiths, and communities for aligned programming and facility use.
Short pitch (one sentence)
A Carnegie-caliber home for Hindu performing arts — concert hall, recording studio, classroom wing, sound & chanting garden, and lakeside amphitheater — opening in phases on the HUA campus.
Fact sheet
- Founded: 2026 (planning phase); first programs Year 1, recital hall opens end of Year 2.
- Parent: Hindu University of America, an accredited 501(c)(3) institution.
- Lead gift: $7.5M pledged by Chandrika & Ranjan Tandon ($1.5M × 5 years).
- Capital plan: ~$8–9M phased, with the balance from naming gifts and grants.
- Spaces: 200-seat recital hall, recording studio, TV/Radio studio, 3 classrooms, sound & chanting garden, 600-seat lakeside amphitheater (Phase 3, Year 5).
- Programs: concert season, artist residencies, afterschool & adult classes, retreats, streaming subscriptions.
- Sustainability: targeting LEED, solar canopy, rainwater capture, xeriscaping, native landscaping.
- Operating model: cash-flow positive in Year 3; programs and rentals offset operations before the hall opens.
Key messages
- Cultural infrastructure, not just a venue. A standing home where Hindu performing arts are commissioned, taught, recorded, and broadcast year-round.
- Self-sustaining by design. Classes, studio rentals, streaming, and aligned facility use carry operations before — and after — the hall opens.
- Artist-first. Living-wage residencies, commission fees, and a recording and TV pipeline that artists share in.
- Community-anchored and open. Afterschool and adult programs through temple and university networks across the Southeast; facilities open to outside ensembles, faiths, and aligned programming.
- Built with nature. A sound and chanting garden, lakeside amphitheater, and sustainable site design integrate the practice of the sacred arts with the land around it.
Leadership (verify individually before publication)
Founding Director
[Name]
[Credentials], previously [institution]. Leads vision, programming, and lead-donor cultivation. Bio to be confirmed by HUA communications.
Artistic Director
[Name]
Classically trained in [tradition]; curates the concert season and residency cohort. Bio to be confirmed by HUA communications.
Director of Education
[Name]
Builds the afterschool, adult, and temple-network class programs across the Southeast. Bio to be confirmed by HUA communications.
Lead Donors
Chandrika & Ranjan Tandon
Long-time philanthropists in the arts and education. Biographical references to be confirmed individually with the family office and HUA communications before any publication.
All biographical references must be confirmed individually with the relevant subject, their family office, and HUA communications before publication.
Quotes available for attribution
"Hindu classical arts deserve the same standing institutions that Western classical music has had for two centuries. This is that institution."
"We are building a home — not a hall for hire. Artists, students, and audiences will recognize themselves here."
Assets
- Logo lockups (forthcoming) — request via press email.
- Architectural renderings of recital hall, classroom wing, and lakeside amphitheater.
- Headshots of artistic leadership and resident artists (on request).
- B-roll: classes in session, studio sessions, sound & chanting garden, opening events.
- Social pack: 1:1 Instagram posts, 9:16 Reel cards, LinkedIn banners.
All assets are free to use with credit to the Hindu University of America. Embargo policy on opening-season announcements: contact us for the standard NDA.