Gov. Chris Gregoire has appointed Redmond resident Latha Sambamurti to the state Board of the Arts Commission.

Sambamurti is the artistic director of Ananda Mela: Joyful Festival of India in Redmond and a board member of the Seattle Latino Film Festival. She is a trained musician in the Carnatic (southern Indian) tradition, a teacher, lecturer and singer with a number of solo and ensemble performances in the Pacific Northwest, Canada and India. In addition, she has written, directed and choreographed numerous productions for children based on the heritage and culture of India.

Sambamurti served on the Redmond Arts Commission from 2003 through 2010 as chair of performing arts, chair of community programming and chair of the arts commission. From 2005 through 2011, she was on the Arts Advisory Board of 4Culture and continues to serve as a panelist for 4Culture.

Sambamurti has a master’s degree in English literature from the University of Madras in India.