Sushira, Sri V. Desikachar’s Academy of Music, Mysuru, is organising its 17th Annual Music Festival at Sri Nadabrahma Sangeetha Sabha on JLB Road in city on Aug. 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18.

On Aug. 14 at 6 pm, the inaugural concert of the festival is veena rendering by Vid. Srinivasa Prasanna. He will be accompanied by Vid. B.R. Srinivas on the mridanga and Vid. Raghunandan Rao on ghata.

On Aug. 15, a vocal concert is rendered by Vid. S. Shankar. He will  be accompanied by K.J. Dilip on violin, Vid. H.L. Shivashankaraswamy on mridanga and Vid. M.R. Manjunath on ghata.  

On Aug. 16, Vid. N. Srinath will present a vocal concert. He will be accompanied by Vid. Anirudh Bharadwaj on violin, Vid. G.S. Ramanujam on mridanga and Vid. V.S. Ramesh on ghata.

On Aug. 17, Vid. A. Chandan Kumar will render a flute concert. He will be accompanied by Vid. Matthur Srinidhi on violin, Vid. Anoor R. Anantha Krishna Sharma on mridanga and Vid. A.D. Sunaad Anoor on ghata.

The finale will be a vocal concert by Vidu. L. Archana. She will be accompanied by Vid. R. Achuta Rao on violin, Vid. A. Radhesh on mridanga and Vid. S. Manjunath on ghata.

Artistes’ Profile

Vid. Srinivasa Prasanna: Vid. Srinivasa Prasanna belongs to the Mysore School of Veena Playing. He learnt the art of playing Karnatak Classical instrument Veena, from his father V. Prabhakara, son of Asthana Vidwan, Vainika Praveena Venkatagiriyappa. He has accompanied his father in numerous concerts. He has also learnt under Sangeetha Kalanidhi Mysore Dr. V. Doreswamy Iyengar.

Prasanna has won prizes in various music competitions. He is a  ‘B-High’ graded artiste of All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan. Currently, Prasanna is under the tutelage of eminent Veena Vidwan D. Balakrishna. He has been accompanying his guru Vid. D. Balakrishna in many concerts.

S Shankar: Born in 1950, Vid. S. Shankar, a well-known Karnatak vocalist, is the disciple of his mother Rajamma Sastry and also Nagarathna Bai and Vallabham Kalyana Sundaram. He is an ‘A top’ artiste of the AIR and Doordarshan. He won the first prize in AIR competition in 1973, Best Musician Award by the Bangalore Gayana Samaj and the Best Young Musician Award by the Music Academy, Chennai.

He has performed all over the country and also at USA. He has conducted music workshops at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in London and has also performed there. He has performed Jugalbandi concerts with Hindustani vocalists. He is endowed with a sturdy voice and his rendering of raga is mellifluous and enthralling.

He has composed many kritis and thillanas, and has written articles and books on music and musicians. He has also founded a musical forum ‘Shankarabharanam Kalamandira.’ He has a number of cassettes/CDs to his credit. He has directed music for musical features, documentaries and dramas on AIR and Doordarshan.

Vid. N. Srinath: Vid. N. Srinath had his training from stalwarts of Karnatak music like K.G. Kanakalakshmi, Dr. S. Ramanathan, R.K. Narayanaswamy, R.N. Tyagarajan and now he is under the tutelage of R.N. Taranathan. He is a ‘B high’ graded artiste of AIR. He is known for his pristine music. He has performed in all the prestigious Sabhas both in India and abroad. He has performed in Berlin, Albany, Pittsburgh and Indiana Polis. He holds a Vidwat degree in Karnatak Classical music. He has many prizes and awards to his credit, including first prize in AIR music competition. At present, he teaches music in Pramathi Hill View Academy in Mysuru.

Vid. Mysore A. Chandan Kumar: Chandan Kumar hails from a family of great musical heritage. He is the great grandson of the legendary violinist, Sangeetha Kalanidhi, Sangeetha Ratna late Mysore T. Chowdiah. Chandan Kumar learnt flute playing from his revered guru M. Gopalakrishna. Chandan is also seeking guidance under Padma Bhushan  P.S. Narayana Swamy of Chennai.  Chandan is an ‘A’ graded artiste of the AIR. He has performed extensively on AIR and Dooradarshan. He has toured extensively throughout India and abroad and has performed in all the prestigious venues.

Vidu. L. Archana: Archana is the daughter of renowned musician Vidu. Koviladi Kala. She had her musical training under her mother. She got second prize in the devotional songs section in the competitions conducted by the AIR. She is a ‘B graded’ artiste in the classical vocal section of the AIR. She has also won prizes in the ‘Ragam Tanam Pallavi  Competitions’ conducted by Sruthi Manjari and Bhramara Trusts. She has performed with her mother both in Karanataka and Chennai. She has given solo performances. She is also the recipient of Kishora Prathibe Award. Music is her passion, while by vocation she is a Chartered Accountant in the Infosys.

For details, contact Mob: 99000-82773.