Two grand music concerts this weekend

Raaga Music Academy, Mysuru, will be hosting two-day grand music concerts this weekend to coincide with its decennial celebrations (10th anniversary) and series of 99th & 100th concerts at Sri Nadabrahma Sangeetha Sabha on JLB Road in city.

On Aug. 3 at 5.30 pm, the 99th vocal concert will be presented by Vidu. Koviladi Archana L. Rao accompanied by Vidu. Aditi Krishnaprakash on violin, Vid. Tumakuru B. Ravishankar on mridanga and Vid. S.N. Narayana Murthy  on ghata.

On Aug. 4 at 5.30 pm, the 100th grand veena – violin duet will be presented by Dr. Jayanthi Kumaresh & Vid. R. Kumaresh couple, famous for their unique performances.

They will be accompanied by Vid. K.U. Jayachandra Rao on mridanga and Vid. Trichy Krishnaswamy on ghata.

Artistes Profile

Vidu. Koviladi Archana Rao, hailing from a family of musicians, was initiated into Karnatak classical music at a very young age by her grandfather “Haridasa Sangeeta Gana Ratna” late Koviladi K. Rangarajan, a renowned musician of yesteryears in Srirangam, Trichy.

Archana is under the tutelage of her mother, ‘Kala Deepti’, ‘Sangeetha Madhuri’ Guru Koviladi R. Kala, a renowned artiste and Music Guru in Mysuru for the past 27 years. She is an A-Graded artiste of All India Radio in both Karnatak vocal and Karnatak devotional categories.

Vidu. Aditi Krishnaprakash, an accomplished violinist in the field of Karnatak music, took to playing violin at the age of 4 and is a disciple of violin maestro Vidwan H.K. Narasimha Murthy.

Aditi’s style of playing is known for its aesthetic approach, rich tone and artful bowing. In 2011, at the age of 21, she became one of the youngest  violinists to receive an “A” grade from AIR.

Vid. Tumakuru B. Ravishankar is one of the most prominent mridanga artistes of India.  A “Top Grade Artiste” of AIR & Doordarshan, he hails from a family of mridanga artistes.

Ravishankar started learning mridanga from his father Tumakuru T.V. Bhadrachar and later had his advanced training  from the great mridanga mastero Guru Karaikudi R. Mani.

Vid. S.N. Narayana Murthy has performed in all the major Sabhas and accompanied all leading artistes of national and international recognition.

He has been teaching students in Karnatak vocal for the past 10 years and has performed in fusion concerts. He has performed in AIR National Programme of Music and in Doordarshan, South Zone.

Vid. R. Kumaresh, in his musical career spanning 50 years, has created a paradigm shift in the way the world looks at Indian violin. He is a child prodigy who played his first concert when he was just five and became a sensation in the field of Karnatak music by completing his 100th stage performance even before he was  10 years old.

He was the youngest violinist to be made the official State Artiste of Tamil Nadu at the age of 17 by the then Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran. He is also the youngest violinist to receive the Tamil Nadu State Award, ‘Kalaimamani’ in the year 1997 and the highest grade ‘A TOP’ from the All India Radio.

Dr. Jayanthi Kumaresh,  a sixth-generation Veena virtuoso, started playing the Saraswathi Veena at the age 3 and is a ten-time recipient of the “Award for Veena” bestowed by The Music Academy, Chennai.

In 37 years of her concert career, she has placed Saraswathi Veena on the world map through her trailblazing performances. She has taken the internet by storm through her innovative web series, Cup O’ Carnatic, which demystifies Indian Classical music to the world audience.

With a doctorate in the art of Veena playing, her online Jayanthi Kumaresh Academy for Veena has students from over 15 countries.

Vid. K.U. Jayachandra  Rao (Jay), a well-known Karnatak classical musician specialising in percussion (mridanga), performs extensively with all the leading musicians in India.

He is known for his unique style of playing mridanga which blends aesthetics and precision in a manner that seamlessly compliments and exemplifies the music of the vocal or instrumental artiste.

Rao is known for his rich melodious sound and his versatility and creativity on stage, making him one of the most sought-after percussionists in the rare group of left handed mridanga artistes.

Trichy S. Krishnaswamy, one of the most sought after ghata players, began his training under Thanjai V. Srinivasan at the age of 10.

He was awarded scholarship from Ministry of Culture for advance training and learning nuances of percussion under mridanga maestro Trichy  B. Harikumar.

An ‘A’ grade ghata artiste in All India Radio, Tiruchirappalli, Krishnaswamy has performed with legendary instrumentalists  and collaborated with many Indian and western percussion players in many concerts.

RAAGA represents Music, Ayurveda and Yoga

RAAGA, providing a unique platform to bring the three Vedic Sciences — Music, Ayurveda and Yoga — into focus under one roof, is a humble concept and an innovative approach to promote a culture of wellness through music and thereby build healthier communities. As the very name ‘RAAGA’ suggests, the first two letters (RA) represent raga of Music, the middle letter (A) represents Ayurveda and the last two letters (GA) represent Yoga.

 Conceptualised and initiated by Dr. Poornima K. Murthy, a renowned Ayurveda Physician & ably supported by Guru Vidushi L. Kala (Koviladi Kala), a renowned vocalist, Vidwan Raghunandan Rao, a senior Chartered Accountant & a renowned ghata artiste and a team of eminent musicians, doctors, art patrons, other professionals and dedicated connoisseurs of music, RAAGA has been conducting music programmes, consistently on the 3rd Saturday of every month. A Lecture Series on ‘Healthy living through Ayurveda & Yoga’ by Dr. N.V. Krishnamurthy of Prajna Kuteera Ayurveda Centre is also being organised every month.