Sruti-40 Fest (Day 1)

SRUTI proudly presents Sruti-40 Fest (Day 1), a 40th year celebration program of Carnatic music featuring an array of eminent artists: R.K. Shriramkumar, VVS Murari, Sandeep Narayan, Vittal Rangan, Manoj Siva, Anirudh Athreya, Kruthi Bhat, R. Sankaranarayanan, Samyuktha Sreeram. 9:30 AM-- INAUGURAL LAMP LIGHTING AND WELCOME ADDRESS *********************************************************************************************** 10 AM-- INAUGURAL VIOLIN DUET CONCERT BY R. K. SHRIRAMKUMAR AND VVS. MURARI, ACCOMPANIED BY MANOJ SIVA AND ANIRUDH ATHREYA R. K. Sriramkumar (violin) belongs to the Rudrapatnam family of musicians, a family with a glorious musical tradition. He is the grandson of Vidvan Shri R K Venkatarama Shastri. Having had his initial lessons in violin playing from Vidushi Smt Savitri Satyamurthy, Shriramkumar was trained in violin playing and vocal music by his grandfather Shri R K Venkatarama Shastri. He later received guidance in violin playing 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. Shriramkumar’s discography includes, apart from his solo recordings, his violin accompaniment with reputed artistes and has had the blessed opportunity of participating in a very unique recording entitled ‘Divine Unison’ featuring the veterans Shri Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and Smt M S Subbulakshmi. A recipient of many awards and accolades, Shriramkumar was recently awarded the prestigious title of Sangita Kalanidhi from the Madras Music Academy for the year 2025. He has traveled far and wide on concert tours. His solo performances, lec-dems and workshops have also been greatly received and appreciated by audiences world-wide. Shriramkumar’s musicianship and endearing personality has inspired many music students and concert musicians to seek his guidance and mentorship. Shriramkumar’s musical creations include many of his compositions, his music for many a lyric, and several dance productions as well . ‘Sri Sharada Stuti Manjari’ – a recording rendered by Smt Bombay Jayashri that contains the compositions of the Jagadgurus of Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetham, ‘Sita Vishlesha Trayam’ – a dance production by Dr Vyjayantimala Bali and ‘Sarasvati Antarvahini’, a dance production by Kalakshetra, are a few notable works, amongst many, that feature Shriramkumar’s musical creations. VVS Murari (Violin) is a distinguished Carnatic violinist and violist, internationally acclaimed cultural ambassador, educator, mentor, and philanthropist. Representing the fourth generation of musicians in the family, his musical lineage can be traced to Muthuswami Dikshitar and Swathi Thirunal. He was trained by his father, legendary violinist ‘Nadhayogi’ V. V. Subrahmanyam and later by Padma Vibhushan Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer. A prodigy, he debuted at age 10 and was the youngest performer at the 1989 World Violin Festival in Köln. He has accompanied legends including M. Balamuralikrishna, K. J. Yesudas, DK Pattammal and many others, has performed across the globe in several countries, in various prestigious venues. An innovator, he came up with a novel concept of Carnatic Philharmonic Orchestra blending Carnatic music and Western classical music. Through VVS Foundation and SaMaa Arts, he supports 600+ musicians annually. His COVID initiative Dakshinotsavam aided 150 artists across South India. He curates Chalakudy Mahotsavam for Kerala folk and traditional arts, Mangala Isai Vizha for Nadaswaram/Thavil artists, and Ekaantha Sangeetha Seva, reviving unamplified temple concerts. Honors include Dwaram Venkataswami Naidu memorial award, Sangeetha Kala Sagaram, Proclamation from Cleveland Mayor’s Office, and multiple Best Violinist awards. His work bridges artistic excellence, cultural diplomacy, innovation, and large-scale artist welfare. Manoj Siva (Mridangam), a prime disciple of Sangita Kalanidhi Sri Palghat Raghu, hails from a family of musicians and music lovers. A Musician and a teacher par excellence he had his initial training in mridangam under Sri Kumbakonam Rajappa Iyer and Sri Srirangarajapuram Jayaraman from a very young age. In the 35 plus years of his career, he has participated in many prestigious festivals across India and abroad which includes performances at the Rashtrapati Bhavan with the legendary Shri K.V.Narayanswamy, Trophen Theatre Amsterdam and Kennedy Centre, Washington DC. Manoj is a sought after accompanist and has accompanied a gamut of artistes from the legendary Iconic Carnatic musicians Smt D.K.Pattamal, Smt.T Muktha, Sri D.K. Jayaraman, Sri K.V.Narayanaswamy, Sri T.N. Seshagopalan to name a few to today’s front ranking and upcoming musicians. Manoj’s performances have gained recognition not just in India, but overseas too. He has performed in countries including U.S.A, Canada, London, Germany, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Belgium, Dubai, Singapore, Malaysia, Doha, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Latvia. Anirudh Athreya (Kanjira) has a great music lineage. His great-grandfathers Sangita Kalanidhi-s ‘Papa’ K.S. Venkatramaiah and Alathur Sivasubramania Iyer were icons in the twentieth century. His maternal grandfather, V. Thyagarajan was a reputed violinist, and grand-uncle V. Nagarajan was a veteran kanjira vidwan. Nagarajan initiated Anirudh into the kanjira when he was nine years old and was his guru for five years. Later, Anirudh came under the guidance of Sangita Kalanidhi T.K. Murthy. Since becoming Murthy’s disciple, Anirudh has not looked back. Within a year he was playing alongside the veteran who went to great lengths to encourage him. He is now a regular accompanist to accomplished artists like Bombay Jayashri, T.M. Krishna and Vijay Siva, among others. He considers it a privilege to have also participated in the concerts of the likes of R.K. Srikantan, T.V. Sankaranarayanan, Vairamangalam Lakshminarayanan, P.S. Narayanaswami, O.S. Thyagarajan, and N. Ravikiran. The senior mridanga artists he has teamed up with are his guru T.K. Murthy and Trichy Sankaran, Guruvayur Dorai, Srimushnam Raja Rao, Tiruvarur Bhakthavatsalam and Mannargudi Easwaran. He has toured many cities in India, and played abroad in the Netherlands, Spain, Austria, Singapore, the U.S.A. and Canada. **************************************************************************** 1 PM-- VOCAL MUSIC PROGRAM BY KRUTHI BHAT, ACCOMPANIED BY VITTAL RANGAN, R. SANKARANARAYANAN, AND SAMYUKTHA SRIRAM Kruthi Bhat (Carnatic Vocal) Vidushi Kruthi Bhat, a young prodigious vocalist in the field of Indian Classical Music, hails from a family of musicians. Kruthi, A Graded artist from the All India Radio with a double upgradation directly to A grade, she has performed extensively at Prestigious platforms all around the Globe and has numerous Titles and Awards to her credit. She is the youngest recipient of the title “Kala Ratna” by Cleveland Thyaragaraja Aradhana Committee, “Isai Chudar” from Karthik Fine Arts Chennai, & “Yuva Kala Mani” from Mani Krishnaswamy Academy. She was awarded the ”Best Vocalist” from the Prestigious Madras Music Academy, she is also the title winner of the Reality Show, Carnatic Music Idol USA Season 3 from Maximum Media Jaya TV, ” “Top 5 Voices of the Future” by Sruti Magazine, “Best Vocalist” by Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha, Chennai & recently the Title Gana Visharada.Kruthi is a disciple of her mother, Vidushi Rajarajeshwary Bhat & maternal uncle Vidwan Vittal Ramamurthy. She has had the privilege to learn from the legendary Padmabhushan Sri Lalgudi G. Jayaraman and Sri T. R. Subramanyan. She is also blessed to receive guidance under renowned musicians, Neyveli Santhanagopalan, S.