Mysore/Mysuru: The 15th concert under ‘Ninaada Griha Sangeeta’ series, organised in Kergalli, Mysuru, will be held on July 27 at 6 pm. This event, presented by Ranjani Memorial Trust, will feature a Hindustani classical vocal concert by Pt. Veerabhadraiah Hiremath, accompanied by Rajesh Bhagavath (tabla) and Hemanth Bhagvath (harmonium) from Mangaluru.

PROFILES

Pt. Veerabhadraiah Hiremath: Born on June 1, 1966, in Yaragalla village of Sindagi taluk, Bijapur district, to parents Shankarayya and Annapoorna, Veerabhadraiah was drawn to music at a young age, inspired by his father’s devotional singing in the village temple. Recognising his talent, elders from his village sent him to the Veereshwara

Punyashrama in Gadag, where he trained under Pandit Puttaraja Gawai for 10 years. He ranked third in the State in the Vidwat Music Exam and later earned high honours in the prestigious Gandharva Mahavidyalaya’s Sangeet Visharad exam.

After a brief teaching stint at the Ashram, he joined Mysuru’s Saptaswara Sangeetha School in 1993 as a music teacher. Later, he founded his own institution, Swarasankula Hindustani Sangeetha Shaale, training hundreds of vocalists and instrumentalists. This school was initially supported by Rotary West and Mahajana Institutions, and is now functioning under the auspices of Kemps Centre                    for Learning.

Even today, he continues to study music under Pandit Indudhar Nirodi, a senior Agra Gharana vocalist. He has also taught music at Suttur Mutt’s Gurukula and JSS High School, and served as a music teacher at Mysuru’s Kannada-medium Arivu School, known for its value-based modern education.

Rajesh Bhagavath (Tabla): A native of Mangaluru, he trained under Pandit Madhava Acharya and later under the senior Mumbai-based tabla maestro Pandit Omkar Gulwadi. He has accompanied thousands of concerts across genres—classical, bhajans and light music.

Hemanth  Bhagvath (Harmonium): He began learning under Shankar Shenoy of Udupi, continued his training with Karnataka’s renowned harmonium player Dr. Ravindra Katoti and further refining his skills in vocal nuances under Shrimathi Devi, Mysuru.