About the
Artists
Ramakrishnan Murthy
Ramakrishnan
Murthy is one of the most popular young Carnatic
musicians today. He started his early vocal
Carnatic Music lessons in 1997 with Smt. Padma
Kutty of
Irvine, CA, USA. Since 2001, for the past 13
years, he has been underdoing advanced training
from vidwan Delhi Sri. P. Sunderrajan. He was
fortunate to
learn briefly, at different times, from senior
vidvans Late Vairamangalam Sri. Lakshminarayanan
and Late Chengalpet Sri. Ranganathan. Ramakrishnan
has also
learned several kritis from CR Vaidyanathan
(student of Vidvan PS Narayanaswami) and Vaikom TV
Jayachandran (student of Vidvan TM Thyagarajan).
Currently, he
continues under Sri. Sunderrajan and also takes
guidance from Vidvan RK Shriramkumar.
Some of his awards include:
- Yuva Kala Bharati from Bharat Kalachar, Chennai,
2014. (to be awarded in November)
- Kalki Krishnamurthy memorial award from Kalki
Krishnamurthy trust, 2014
- Outsanding Vocalist from Music Academy for 3
years consecutively, 2011, 2012, 2013.
- Shanmukha Sangeetha Shironmani title from
Shanmukhananda Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha,
Mumbai 2013.
- Dr. ML Vasanthakumari Memorial award from Sri
Parthasarathy Swami Sabha, Chennai (instituted by
Sudha Raghunathan), 2013.
- Outstanding Musician of the year from Sringeri
Vidya Bharati Foundation, Stroudsburg, USA, 2013
- Chitra Narayanaswami endowment prize from Brahma
Gana Sabha for most promising vocalist season
2012.
- Best Vocalist for season 2010, from Sri Tyaga
Brahma Gana Sabha, Chennai, 2010.
- First Prize winner, All India Radio National
Competition for Carnatic Vocal, 2009.
- Sangeetha Shri title from Rasika Ranjani Sabha,
Trichy, 2009.
- Spirit of Youth prize from Music Academy, 2008.
- First Prize winner, All India Radio National
Competition for Carnatic Devotional, 2007.
- Musiri Subramania Iyer endowment for best
concert and Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer
endowment for best alapana from Sri Krishna Gana
Sabha, 2006.
- Special Bhavam Prize from Kalki Magazine,
Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana Festival, 2003.
Ramakrishnan, an A-grade artist at the All India
Radio and Doordarshan, Chennai has performed
widely in India, USA, Middle East, and Far East,
and has had the
rare privelege of being accompanied in concerts by
almost all of the stalwarts of the present day. He
is a Computer Science graduate of the University
of
California, Irvine.
Charumathi Raghuraman
Charumathi
Raghuraman, is a young violin virtuoso in the
Carnatic, South Indian music tradition. A
precocious talent, she started learning first
from her mother Smt. Rama Raghuraman, then
continued formalized training with the respected
Guru Smt. T.R. Balamani in Mumbai, and soon
thereafter, at the suggestion of the iconic
violinist of South India, Padma Bhushan Prof. T.
N. Krishnan, Charumathi became his ardent
disciple in 1995. She also studies Carnatic
vocal music with the renowned teacher Padma
Bhushan Sri. P. S. Narayanaswami.
She
played her debut concert along side Prof. T. N.
Krishnan in 1998 and since then has been
performing regularly both as a soloist and
accompanist. The salient features of her
musicianship include the rare combination of a
pure sound and erudite content. She not only
excels in the instrumental technique of the
violin but is equally adept in reproducing vocal
nuances mellifluously.
She
has been awarded the CCR&T, Govt. of India
scholarship from the age of ten. She is the
recipient of many awards; some of the notable
ones include the ‘Kalki Krishnamurthy Memorial
Award’ for the year 2016, ‘Ramabhadran Centenary
Award’ for the Most Promising Young Musician of
the Year 2013 from Tag Corporation, India;
’Young Achiever award’ from Rotary Club; ‘Best Violinist’
awards for the years 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2006,
and the ‘Outstanding Young Violinist’ award in
2007-08 from The Music Academy (Madras); and ‘Best Violinist’
awards from various institutions like Narada
Gana Sabha, Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Indian Fine
Arts Society etc.
She
is an ‘A grade' artist of the All India Radio
and Doordarshan.
Charu
has traveled widely across India and abroad to
perform in prestigious music festivals and
institutions over the last 15 years. In 2011,
Charu was invited to participate in The Woodford
Folk Festival, an annual music festival held in
Brisbane, Australia. A year later, Charu was
part of a cultural delegation organized by ICCR
(New Delhi) to tour Brazil. She also
participated in a collaborative concert with the
Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra, USA. In May
2016, Charu was invited to perform a solo
concert at The Bhavan, London, as part of their
Mandolin Shrinivas Memorial Concert Series. She
has traveled widely for other performances in
USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Middle East,
Singapore etc.
Academically,
she holds a Master’s degree in Business
Administration from Xavier Institute.
Manoj Siva
Manoj
Siva
began his training in Mridangam under
Kumbakonam Shri.Rajappa Iyer and
Srirangarajapuram Jayaraman in the year 1978
and later on came under the tutelage of
Sangitha Kalanidhi Palghat R.Raghu in the year
1992. Is a “Top Rank Grade “grade artiste of
All India Radio Chennai and has been in the
profession for more than 20 years.
Known
for his soft and accommodating style, he has
accompanied stalwarts like D K Jayaraman, K V
Narayanaswamy, D K Pattammal, T Muktha, R K
Srikantan, P S Narayanaswamy, N Ramani
(flute), R Vedavalli, T N Seshagopalan, T V
Sankaranarayanan
Has
won many prizes and awards notably Yuva Kala
Bharathi by the Bharath Kalachar, Chennai, the
“Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar Award” by
the Central Sangeeth Natak Akademi for the
year 2006, the Nathan memorial award by Sruthi
Laya Kendra of Guru Karaikudi Mani for the
year 2007, the Kanchi Kamakoti Aasthana vidwan
by the Kanchi mutt for the year 2009 and the
title of ‘Mrudangam Mani’ by the Kanchi Mutt
in 2010.
Has
traveled abroad widely on concert tours to
countries U.S.A, Canada, London, Germany,
Malaysia, Australia, Sri Lanka ,Dubai
Netherlands and Belgium .Manoj has regaled
audiences all over the world.
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