Kiranavali Vidyasankar (Carnatic Vocal)

Kiranavali Vidyasankar, a highly gifted young Carnatic vocalist, comes from a lineage of well-respected musicians led by her legendary grandfather, Gotuvadyam Narayana Iyengar and was hailed as a child prodigy by the age of two. Over the years, Kiranavali trained intensely both under her father, N. Narasimhan, and her brother, Chitravina Ravikiran. She has been making public appearances as a vocalist since the age of five, initially in tandem with her brother, K. N. Shashikiran, and later as a soloist. Under the guidance of the late T. Brinda, the highest authority on the works of many a great composer, Kiranavali has matured into a sensitive musician with a deep commitment to highly refined musical values. Kiranavali also plays the Chitravina, true to her family tradition. She has presented several solo concerts, and has teamed up with Ravikiran as well. She is the first artiste to be graded in both vocal and the Chitravina by the national radio and television networks of India. Kiranavali’s music reflects a unique blend of strong traditional values and an analytical approach. She has been featured by many leading organizations in India and the US, such as The Music Academy, Krishna Gana Sabha, India International Centre (New Delhi), National Centre for the Performing Arts (Mumbai), Narada Gana Sabha and Indian Fine Arts Society, among others. Kiranavali was the lead female vocalist in the operatic ballet Lakshmi Prabhavam, which premiered in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1997, and was eventually presented in more than 20 major cities. She has also lent her voice for several recordings and music-based serials. Kiranavali has already amassed a teaching experience of over 15 years, and is highly sought after for her quality and value-based training. In addition to having trained many students privately in India and the US, she has served as an advanced-level teacher at well-known institutions like Shanmukhananda Fine Arts (Mumbai, India) and the Centre for World Music (San Diego, USA). As a resident of the US now, she maintains a hectic teaching schedule besides her performing schedule. Kiranavali is also involved in writing about music. Under her editorship, www.carnatica.com emerged as one of the top-notch websites in Carnatic music, and won the Britannica Award for Excellence in 2000. In 2002, she edited the book Ragas at a Glance, authored by the scholar-musician, S R Janakiraman. She has also written articles for several newspapers, websites and magazines over the years, and is now a regular contributor to The Hindu, one of the leading dailies in India. Kiranavali holds a degree in commerce but Carnatic music remains her passion and her chosen career.

Vinod Seetharaman began learning mridangam at the age of seven from Shri. Ardhanareeswaran and, later, received his advanced training under Bangalore Shri. Arjun Kumar and Sangeeta Kalanidhi Umayalpuram Sivaraman. He has performed at several venues in India, USA and Canada and has accompanied many leading artists including T.N. Seshagopalan, N. Ramani, Chitravina N. Ravikiran, Sudha Raghunathan, Sanjay Subramanian, T. M. Krishna, Kiranavali and others. Vinod is a graded All India Radio (AIR) artiste with many radio concerts to his credit and has also performed on national television in India. He has a master's degree in Industrial technology and is currently pursuing a career in automotive engineering at Ford Motor Company.

Jayshankar Balan received his initial training from Alamelu Subramanian and is currently under the guidance of Madurai Sundar. He has performed extensively all over the world and has accompanied many leading stalwarts in the Carnatic arena including Dr. N Ramani, Nedunuri Krishnamoorthy, Dr. K. J. Yesudas and T. N. Seshagopalan. In 1999, Jayshankar was invited to perform at the United Nations in Paris for the last UN Meeting of the century. He has also represented India in major cultural festivals including the Festivals of India in Russia and the Middle East. He is a graded artist of AIR (All India Radio). He holds a Masters in Computer Science and a MBA in Finance.