There are performers, they spend a lifetime, learning, practicing and perfecting their art. A singer for example, begins his day with music, his mind contemplates music throughout the day both consciously during his endless hours of practice and unconsciously when he is doing other things. He ends the day with more music. Such artistes are wonderful examples of the highest levels of excellence that can be achieved through constant practice and complete devotion to their art form. They are sources of joy and tremendous inspiration to all art lovers around them.
And then there are those, who go to school, work in offices, they are engineers, doctors, professors, executives, businessmen – professionals with heavy demands on their time. Yet somehow, somewhere, they manage to snatch an hour here, a couple there - precious moments - day after day so they may learn and practice the art they revere and love so much. They derive inspiration from full time artistes and yet, are fine performers themselves, wonderful examples of what efficient time management and superhuman commitment can achieve.
The success of any musical festival depends on both categories of artistes and we at Salt Lake City have been fortunate to have participation from all quarters. We present here a profile of performers who have graced the stage in the Rama Seva celebrations over the years!
Thyagaraja Festival this year (2010)
| Due to extenuating circumstances the festival will be held at a different time. Please visit us again to get future updates. Musicians featured last year (2009)
SangeethaKalaanidhi T.K.GovindaRao, who hails from a family of Musicians from Kerala, is a leading vocalist of Indian Classical Karnatic Music. In 1949 he joined the then Central College of Karnatak Music which is known as Tamil Nad Govt.Music College at Chennai, where under the care of great musicians like Sangeetha Kalaanidhi T.N.SwaminathaPillay and Smt.T.Brunda, he completed the course of "SANGITA VIDWAN" |
|  TKG was fortunate to have as his Guru, the founder-Principal, Padmabhushan, SagitaKalanidhi,Isaipperarignar Sri Musiri Subrahmanya Iyer, the doyen of Karnatak Music.A rigorous GURUKULAVASA-training spread over fifteen years followed by many years of close association with his Guru, marks him as a Faithful representative of the Musiri style of Bhava-ladden renderings. A career spanned over five decades brought him assignments such as Lecturer, Govt.of Tamilnadu Music College, Chennai, Producer-Music,All India Radio, Chennai and finally Chief Producer-Music in the Directorate-General,All India Radio, NewDelhi. In addition, he had been associated with The Music Academy, Chennai, as a member of the Advisory Committee, Central Sangit Natak Akademy and the ICCR as also with Universities of Banares, Delhi,Madras,Annamalai, Bangalore, Andhra and Telugu University in various capacities.
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| All these assignments, however, did not deter him from his prime vocation as a vocalist and teacher that took him, over the years,all over India and abroad.SriLanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Mangolia,UK,USA ,Canada and Gulf countries, where he has taught hundreds of students. Titles like Sangita Kalanidhi, Sangita Choodaamani, Sangeetha SaastraRathnakara, Sangita Ratnakara (Cleveland USA) Ganakalatilaka, Naadakkanal, Swarasamrat, Sangita Samrat, Sangita Acharya, Sangita Poornasri, GayakaSikhamani besides the Academy Award from the Centrala Sangit Natak Akademy, the Natioal Academy of Music, Dance and Drama and AsthanaVidwan of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, Sapthagiri Sangita Vidwanmani have been conferred on him for his contributions to the field of Karnatak Music. |
| "TKG is a veteran of the old school who has played a prominent role in the preservation of all that is precious in the truly classical rendition of Karnatak Music"-the renowned senior music critic Sri P.N.Krishnamurthy, quoted in the wellknown music MagaZine "SRUTI" |
| To promote, preserve and propagate the time-tested oral traditions of Classical Karnatak Music, he founded an organization named "GANAMANDIR TRUST (Regd)” with the object of Publishing works on Music, producing audio/video CDs and Cassettes in his "GANAMANDIR STUDIOS", organising semimars and workshops on Music in India and elsewhere.In this endeavour he has preserved the essence and identity of the original that remain characteristically and traditionally Indian. |
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Hemmige V. Srivatsan - The Violin Artiste
Hemmige V. Srivatsan was introduced to music at an early age by his parents, Shantha and Hemmige D. Varadarajan. He received training as a violinist under Prof. Anoor S. Ramakrishna, Principal of the Ayyanar Music College in Bangalore and performed widely with him. In 1985, Srivatsan had the unique opportunity of accompanying Sangeeta Kalanidhi Professor Palghat K.V. Narayanaswamy in a series of concerts in the U.S. and Canada. Following this, Srivatsan became a disciple of Sri KVN, and was inspired to learn the art of singing from him as well.
Srivatsan has toured many countries with his Guru and has also provided vocal support for him. As a violinist, he has accompanied other leading musicians such as Sri Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Smt. M.S. Subbulakshmi, Sri T. Viswanathan, Sri N. Ramani, Sri D.K. Jayaraman, Sri R.K. Srikantan, Sri T.V. Sankaranarayanan, and Sri T.N. Seshagopalan. Srivatsan has been featured in a number of albums with his guru and he is an ‘A’ grade artiste of All India Radio. Srivatsan resides with his family in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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‘Pittsburgh’ Vikram P. Sundararaman
Born into a family of ardent lovers of the classical arts, music and dance have always been an integral part of Vikram’s life. His paternal aunts are none other than C. Saroja and C. Lalitha, popularly known as the Bombay Sisters. Vikram’s formal music training was initiated under the training of eminent music teachers at the Sri Venkateswara Temple, Pittsburgh Summer Music School. There he started instruction in Carnatic music under eminent musicians like Ramnad Raghavan (1989), Prabhakara Varma (1989), T.R. Subrahmanyam (1990, 1991), and S.R.Janakiraman (1992, 1993). 
In the summer of 1994 Vikram came under the guidance of the renowned musician Sangita Kalanidhi Sri T.K. Govinda Rao. Sri TKG’s style of bhava-laden, traditional music encouraged him to take his musical study to a more serious level. For the past 14 years, Vikram has visited Chennai numerous times to study under Sri TKG during his vacation time from school and University in both summer and winter. He has performed along with his Guru in concerts as vocal support on numerous occasions at sabhas like the Madras Music Academy, Narada Gana Sabha, Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Ragasudha, and Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam Annual Music and Dance Festival. Vikram has traveled and performed with his Guru in the United States as well. In addition Vikram has had the honor to assist his Guru in the publication of the compositions of various great composers.
Vikram has given several solo performances in India under the auspices of Sangita Sadguru Samajam, Papanasam Sivan Rasikar Manram, and Nada Inbam. He has also perfomed at several venues across the United States and Canada.
In addition to vocal music, Vikram’s fascination with music prompted him to study mridangam during the Summer Music School at the S.V. Temple. He has studied under eminent percussionists like T.H. SubashChandran (brother of ‘Vikku’ Vinayakaram), T.K Rajakesari, Dara Appala Swamy, V. Nagarajan and Pazhani C. Kumar.
Vikram has also studied the Kuchipudi dance form under Smt. Kamala Reddy Rajupet of Pittsburgh and for a brief period at Vempati Chinnasatyam’s Kuchipudi Art Academy in Chennai, India. Vikram feels fortunate to have had formal training in these art forms but reserves vocal Carnatic music as a primary course of study in the classical arts.
Vikram holds a BS and MS in Bioengineering and is currently a first year student in the Doctor of Pharmacy program at the University at Buffalo.
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Sumanth Swaminathan
Sumanth Swaminathan started training in vocal Carnatic Music at the age of 8 from Sri T.N. Bala in the Philadelphia area. At the age of 13, he was initiated into Carnatic music on the saxophone during a visit by Padmashri Dr. Kadri Gopalnath. Sumanth subsequently trained under the renowned saxophone master during his summer visits to India, while continuing to train under Sri. T.N. Bala. As a young high school student, Sumanth won first prizes at competitions held at the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana and the Carnatic Music Association of North America, NJ. He performed with his Guru at concerts at the Mukambika temple in Mangalore in 2001, the Silver Jubilee celebrations of CMANA in 2002 and the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia in 2003. Sumanth has since performed in several solo Kutcheris and wedding concerts across the United States. Sumanth is a chemical engineer and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics at Northwestern University.
Smt. Padmaja Kishore is the daughter and disciple of Sangeetha Kalanidhi Shri T.K. Govinda Rao. She has performed for All India Radio, Chennai & Pondicherry and given several performances in the SanFrancisco Bay area.
She is the director of Gana Mandir Fine Arts in San Jose and teaches music in the Bay area. She has given three CD recordings: "Compositions of Purandaradasa", "Rama Gana Manjari" and "Dasa Gana Manjari".
Deepti Navaratna
Deepti Navaratna is an upcoming Carnatic vocalist trained under the tutelage of Smt. Rohini Manjunath, disciple of Smt. Neela Ramgopal, Chennai. Deepti is the recipient of numerous awards and prizes throughout her musical career; prominent among them being the All India Radio National Music Award in the categories of Carnatic music and light classical music. She was selected to perform at the National Youth Festival conducted by the Government of India at Banaras in 1999 and 2001. Deepti is also deeply interested in the ethnographic and ethnomusicological aspects of Carnatic music. An active member of Society of Ethnomusicology and the International Council for Traditional Music, she has presented her research at several conferences in the United States. In line with her long-term goal to familiarize Carnatic music to eclectic audiences, she has given several lecture demonstrations on elements of Carnatic performance and theory in the US. Currently, she is a post-doctoral fellow at the Department of Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School, Boston.
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Guhan Venkataraman
Guhan Venkataraman, an 8th grader at Lawson Middle School, Cupertino, CA is a budding veena artist of the Karaikudi style, one of the most distinguished lineages in Carnatic music. He started learning Veena from his mother Smt. Lakshmi Venkataraman, a disciple of Smt. Ranganayaki Rajagopalan who is a direct disciple of the legendary Karaikudi Sri. Sambasiva Iyer. Last two summers Guhan went to India to receive advanced training from Smt. Ranganayaki Rajagopalan.
Guhan has given many concerts in the San Francisco Bay area under the auspices of Nandalala Mission, Lotus, Sanatan Dharma Kendra, South India Fine Arts and Swaralahari (a local TV program). Some of his concert recordings can be found on http://www.youtube.com (search for “Guhan”) and http://swaralahari.org/videos/concertlist.html. Highlight of his programs has been the Pancha Gana Raga Thanam, the most distinguishing piece of Karaikudi style. Guhan was praised by his teacher Smt. Ranganayaki Rajagopalan as a student showing fine promise in an interview by Hindu on July 04, 2008 http://www.hinduonnet.com/fr/2008/07/04/stories/2008070451360300.htm.
Guhan has participated in veena competitions at the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana festival and has won the first place on “kriti” and “alapana” categories.
Besides music, Guhan is an artist and he loves painting.
Vignesh Venkataraman
Vignesh, a 10th grader at Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, CA is a mridangam artist hailing from Umalyalpuram Sri. K. Sivaraman’s school. Vignesh was initiated into playing Mridangam by Sri.Anand Iyer, also from the same school. For the past 4 years, Vignesh has been traveling to India every summer undergoing advanced training under the tutelage of Umayalpuram Sri. K. Sivaraman.
Vignesh is the most sought after mridangist in the San Francisco Bay area. He has accompanied various artists in concerts, including some senior artists such as Sri Hemmige Srivatsan and Sri Mohan Rangan (flutist). He has given many performances organized by Lotus, Nandalala Mission, Swaralahari (local TV program), South India Fine Arts, India Community Center and San Francisco Sangati Center. Vignesh was the lead mridangist in a special classical music program organized by Swaralahari. He has participated in San Francisco World Music Festival two years in a row. He was also a part of the orchestra that recorded music for a documentary called “Brides of Kerala” released by UC, Berkeley. Some of his concert recordings can be found on http://www.youtube.com
(search for “Vignesh”) and Vignesh is also learning vocal carnatic music from Smt. Meena Kodhandaraman, a disciple of Sri. M.S.Anantharaman. He is recently getting advance training from the violin maestro Sri. R.K. Shriramkumar.
Vignesh has participated in mridangam and vocal competitions at the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana festival and has won several prizes in both categories
Besides music, Vignesh is an avid sports fan and football is his most favorite sport. He is training to be the quarterback of his high school football team.
Subramaniyam Narayanan also known as Bombay Sriram was initiated into Carnatic Classical music by Smt. Sarayu Srinivasan. He later came under the tutelage of Guru Smt. T.R. Balamani under whom he learnt music for around twenty years and performed over 100 concerts in India, Switzerland, USA and Mauritius. Sriram has also trained under Sangeeta Kalanidhi Guru Shri. T.K. Govinda Rao. He has undergone rigorous training in Mridangam under well known Mridanga Vidwan Guru Sri.K.V.Maniappan for over fifteen years.
He is a proud recipient of the prestigious National Talent Search Scholarship for vocal (1994-99) and Mridangam - (1993-99) and ‘Scholarship for Young Artistes’ for specialized training in classical vocal (2004-06), all from the Government of India
Sriram began performing at the age of nine. Since then he has performed on several stages namely Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan(Chennai) (2007), Nada Inbam Chennai (Raga Sudha Hall) (2007) Carnatic Music Society Goa (2006) Poona Sangeetha Sabha (2006) Sathguru Sangeeta Sabha Calicut (2006)Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Chennai (2006) Karthik Fine Arts – Chennai (2005) Hamsadhwani- Chennai (2005 & 2006) Rasika Ranjana Sabha – Kolkata(2005) Indian Fine Arts Society Chennai (2004) The Chennai Doordarshan, The Fine Arts Society, Mumbai, Shanmukhananda Fine Arts (Mumbai), National Center for Performing Arts (Mumbai), Indian Association Geneva Switzerland, Chinmaya Mission Mauritius (Ganesh Festival season) and Mauritius Broadcasting Centre Mautitius (2001&2002)
Sriram has a bachelors in Electrical Engineering and is doing his MBA from Carnegie Mellon University. He will be joining McKinsey & Company upon graduation.
Ravi Subramayan is a disciple of the well known mridanga vidwan Sri. Mannargudi Easwaran. He has many years of performance experience both in the US and in India. A detailed musical resume will be updated soon. He is settled at Chicago, Il. In the early years of this festival, Sri.Ravi subramanyan has participated both as a percussionist.
Divya is a multifaceted artist with an all-round excellence in the field of traditional Indian Classical Dances of Bharathanatyam, Mohiniattom, Kathakali and Folk dances of India. She has more than 20 years of expertise in the multifaceted field as a popular & versatile performer, innovative & imaginative choreographer, teacher, trainer and presenter. She has more than 350 performances to her credit including national and international appearances throughout India while she was in Delhi, the national capital of India and in the U.S at Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York and Utah.
Divya is a triple scholarship recipient in the field of three popular classical dance forms of India. She is an Indian government panel graded artist in Doordarshan, Prasar Bharthi of I&B Ministry, Government of India.. Further details can be obtained from her home page www.divyanarayanan.com
Suba Thirumalai, Sripriya Raghavendran, Vijayalakshmi Narayanan, Sudha Velamuri, Vijaya Raghuraman, Sunita Avasarala, Charles Mallela, Sriram Thirumalai, Nandita Raghavan.
