with R K Shriramkumar – Violin & K Arun Prakash – Mridangam
Amritha Murali
For Carnatic music aficionados thirsting for chaste rendering of the great compositions of its maestros and a musical imagination rooted in good aesthetics and orthodox vocalisation uncluttered by gimmickry, 28-year-old Amritha Murali is a godsend. This promising young vocalist is an accomplished violinist as well, known to be the ideal accompanist – supportive and unobtrusive despite her virtuosity – and an appealing soloist, not to mention her excellent showing as an accompanist in the violin kutcheri-s of her guru T. Rukmini. Belonging to a family deeply interested in Carnatic music – grandmother Sankari Nagarajan was a graded AIR vocalist – Amritha enjoys a pedigree that includes some outstanding guru-s in vocal music, the late K.R. Kedaranathan and Meera Kedaranathan prominent among them. While Rama Ravi of the Brinda-Muktha school has been another notable influence, Amritha has recently started training with P.S. Narayanaswamy. Amritha’s early violin learning was from Vitthal Ramamurthy, before she came under the tutelage of Rukmini….read more
R K Shriramkumar
R K Shriramkumar belongs to a family of eminent Carnatic musicians who hail from Rudrapatna, a little village on the banks of the river Kaveri in Karnataka, South India. His grandfather Vidvan Shri R K Venkatarama Shastry, a veteran violinist, was one of the most respected musicians of the music fraternity. His grand uncles Vidvan R K Narayanaswamy, Vidvan R K Ramanathan, Vidvan R K Srikantan, his uncles the ‘Rudrapatnam Brothers’, Vidvans R N Thyagarajan & R N Tharanathan,Vidvan R S Ramakanth, his aunts Vidushi Ratnamala Prakash and Vidushi R N Srilatha are all musicians of great repute.
Having had his initial lessons in violin playing from Vidushi Smt Savitri Satyamurthy, Shriramkumar was trained in vocal music and violin by his grandfather Shri R K Venkatarama Shastry. He later received guidance in violin from Vidvan Shri V V Subrahmanyam and in vocal music from Vidvan Shri D K Jayaraman. Born in Chennai on 4th October 1966 to Smt Kusuma Krishnamurthy and Shri R V Krishnamurthy, Shriramkumar began his concert career in 1981, performing his debut concert with Vidvan N. Vijay Siva on the auspicious day of Shankara Jayanti, and has since carved a niche for himself gaining much proficiency, acclaim, stature and popularity amongst musicians and music lovers alike. His skills were further honed through the association and learning he gained by accompanying the doyens of Carnatic music like Vidvan Shri Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Vidushi Smt. M S Subbulakshmi, Vidushi Smt. D K Pattammal, Vidvan Shri D K Jayaraman, Vidvan Shri Palghat K V Narayanaswamy, Vidushi Smt. T Brinda and Vidushi Smt. T Mukta, and others…. read more
K Arun Prakash
Son of the famous music composer Shri L.Krishnan, Arun Prakash learned the art of playing mridangam from Ramanathapuram M.N.Kandaswamy Pillai from the age of 9. Arun started playing in concerts from the age of 11. He has given performances all over the world. His playing style is incredibly musical and he enhances the music to a different level altogether. His presence of mind and his composing skills merge together to give a different dimension to the kritiniraval and swara that is rendered on stage. He has won several awards and prizes. Arun has composed numerous pallavis sung by many musicians and he can be easily called “The thoughful” musician.
