If one has to be recognised in Carnatic music, one just HAS to relocate to Chennai, it is said. There can be no substitute for listening to live concerts is also oft-heard. This respected violinist, however, has put paid to both the above statements. Charulatha Ramanujam is appreciated not only…
A consummate performer rarely makes a good teacher, each requiring different skill sets. Imparting knowledge to those far less conversant requires assessing and customizing instruction for each student, simultaneously motivating and pushing and, above all, zero insecurity to demystify what seems opaque and frequently shrouded. Lalgudi Jayaraman, whose 90th birth…
Simple and unassuming, Kala Ramnath exudes a gentle, innocent vulnerability that betrays the titan that she is in Hindustani music. One of the youngest recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar, she has put her distinctive stamp on Hindustani violin, made it a force to reckon with, and put it…
Giridhar Udupa literally grew up surrounded by percussion as his father Ullur Nagendra Udupa was a mridangist who taught extensively. At age 4, he started learning mridangam and learned that exclusively until the age of 9. Then, at a concert organized by his father, Giridhar was roped in to play…
This artiste was extremely clear that music was what he wanted to pursue and would have discontinued his studies after 12th Grade, had his Guru not persuaded him to complete his degree. “I had stubbornly refused to listen to my parents,” says L. Ramakrishnan who can be seen accompanying practically…
50 uniformed children, ages 5-10, happily clap their hands and recite konakkol phrases to a refrain of simple instrumental music from a cell phone. Just some twenty minutes earlier, their master of ceremonies had gently introduced the word ‘rhythm’ and got the children to chip in, conveying the message that…
B Shree Sundarkumar, aka The KanjiraMan, is acknowledged as a wizard on the kanjira by artistes young and old, prolific and niche, Carnatic and other genres. An “artiste of eminence” says Sangita Kalanidhi Umayalpuram K Sivaraman. “Incomparable,” says kanjira artiste BS Purushotham. “Rare calibre,” says vocalist Abhishek Raghuram, who himself…
A sparkling, confident on-stage persona and an approachable, cheerful demeanour characterise this lady, known for weighty classicism in vocal Carnatic music. A faculty member at The Music Academy’s Advanced School of Carnatic Music, there is a lot more to Dr. G Baby Sreeram than meets the eye. Augmented only periodically…
Of this artiste who had over 60 concerts in ~40 days this past music season, Sangita Kalanidhi Aruna Sairam says, “He is an excellent violinist on whom the music world has great expectations. His command over rAga bhAva and dexterity of playing are qualities that make him a very sought-after…
“Her music is full of gnanam and sukha-bhavam. The high level of technical competency in her singing is most aesthetically presented,” says Bombay Jayashri. Doyen vocalist, and sought-after expert and teacher, Suguna Varadachari states, “Regardless of the ragam or the kalapramanam, she sings beautifully. It is only when songs are…