Nirmala Rajasekar has been performing ancient south Indian classical music for most of her life. She's an accomplished player of the veena, a traditional Indian stringed instrument. Rajasekar also happens to be a huge fan of the American musical…”The Sound of Music”

MPR’s Chris Roberts presents Open Ears, an ongoing series of audio features that explores how contemporary musicians' listening habits shape their music-making. Each installment features a Twin Cities musician talking about a favorite piece of music from a genre outside his or her own. The series taps musicians' wide-ranging tastes and deep musical knowledge as it explores the surprising and revealing influences that affect today's sounds.