Amritha Murali – Carnatic Vocal Concert with R.K. Shriramkumar (Violin), K. Arun Prakash (Mridangam), and G. Chandrasekara Sharma (Ghatam)

Amritha Murali (Vocal)

Amritha Murali is amongst the most popular and proficient musicians of the current generation. Having trained under great musicians, Smt & Shri K R Kedaranathan, Smt Rama Ravi, Smt T Rukmini, Shri P S Narayanaswamy and Shri R K Shriramkumar, her music is an enjoyable amalgam of integrity to classical values, delightful creativity and pristine presentation. Endowed with a perfect blend of a mellifluous voice, sharp intellect and focus on the aesthetics, Amritha’s performances are marked with erudition and emotion. She has performed for several premier institutions and centers world over and is a recipient of numerous awards, notable amongst them being the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar from the Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi, the Shanmukha Shrionmani from Shanmukhananda Sangeetha Sabha, Mumbai and the best vocalist, concert and lecture demonstration awards from the Music Academy, Chennai.

R K Shriramkumar (Violin)

R K Shriramkumar, a musician par excellence wears many hats with aplomb – solo and accompanying violinist, vaggeyakara, vocal and violin Guru, music scholar, polyglot and mentor. He belongs to the Rudrapatnam family of musicians and is the grandson of the much respected Vidvan Shri R K Venkatarama Shastri. Apart from training under his grandfather he has also received guidance in violin playing from Vidushi Smt Savitri Satyamurthy and from Vidvan Shri V V Subrahmanyam and in vocal music from Sangita Kalanidhi Shri D K Jayaraman. His skills were further honed through the association and knowledge that he gained by accompanying the doyens of Carnatic music like Shri Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Smt M S Subbulakshmi, Smt D K Pattammal, Shri D K Jayaraman, Shri Palghat K V Narayanaswamy, Smt T Brinda, Smt T Mukta, Shri M Balamuralikrishna and others. A recipient of numerous prestigious awards, Shriramkumar has traveled far and wide on concert tours. His solo performances, lec-dems and workshops are a conoisseurs delight and have been appreciated by audiences world-wide. Shriramkumar is a versatile composer with many compositions to his credit. He has set to music the sahitya of various composers and also composed and structured the music for many dance productions of reputed dancers.

Arun Prakash (Mridangam)

Son of music composer Shri L Krishnan, Arun Prakash is one of the leading percussionist of our times. Having learnt the art of mridangam playing from Ramanathapuram Shri M N Kandaswamy Pillai, Arun Prakash’s mridangam artistry combines the best of tradition and modernity. While his technique of handling the instrument is very traditional, his playing is characterized by mathematical innovation, brilliance, and modernity. Having accompanied several doyens, his accompaniment is characterized by pleasing aesthetics and sensitivity, thus enriching the concert experience for the listener. Gifted with a playing style that is highly musical, his presence of mind and his composing skills add a different dimension to the concert experience making it immersive and enjoyable. His composing skills extend over kritis, korvais, pallavis and special productions. Arun has several prestigious awards to his credit from premier institutions all over the world.

Chandrasekara Sharma (Ghatam)

Chandrasekara Sharma, hailing from an illustrious musical lineage, is a disciple of Sangeetha Kala Acharya Late Sri TH Subhash Chandran. He is a highly sought-after ghatam artist in Carnatic music. The ease and dexterity with which he plays complex strokes on the ghatam is a delight to watch. His sensitive accompaniment is backed by his knowledge of vocal music. A fine vocalist too, he has trained under Sri N Vijay Siva and Sri RK Shriramkumar. He has traveled far and wide and has shared the stage with numerous senior artistes. Chandrasekara Sharma has earned much acclaim world over through many awards, notable amongst them being the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar from the Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi.