Music can be an extension to one’s personality; Aruna Sairam’s gleeful performance of Shanmukhapriya is a clear projection of her endearing tone of voice and her instant ability to make you feel at ease in a conversation. In this concert, Sairam also points out the key differences between a Hindustani and Carnatic concert in a brief, lucid interview. She is on top of her game with the calm and virtuosic expositions of the raga through the ragam, tanam and pallavi.

Sairam’s voice brings a husky authority to Carnatic music. She first learnt to sing by listening to her mother and is part of a long line of female musicians. The direct teaching lineage stretches back over 200 years, to the singers and dancers of the Tamil court. She is an exponent of pure Carnatic singing but has also embraced other Indian genres. Her collaborations range from jazz and Sufi to Gregorian chant and film scores. She sings in 12 different languages and has started her career at 35, rather late for a musician. Today, she is among the top-most artists in her field.

Patri Satish Kumar (mridangam) is one of the most acclaimed percussionists with a spectacular performing career. He was initiated into music by his mother, Padmavathy, who is a violinist herself. Satish has also studied Mridangam under gurus such as Sree Ramachandramurthy and Vankayala Narasimhan and has been conferred an honorary doctorate by the University of California, Berkeley in 2018.

RN Prakash is one of the leading Carnatic percussionists in Europe. He was born and trained in India in Carnatic music after which, during his 30’s, he had permanently shifted to the UK. Apart from being a busy concert artist, RN Prakash holds a prime position as a faculty at the London School of Carnatic Music.

Jyotsna Srikanth is trained in both Carnatic and Western classical violin. She began rigorous training with her mother in vocal music when she was 5 years old. At 6, her interest in violin was kindled after she attended a concert of Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan. She has her gradation in Western classical from the Royal School of Music, London.

Aruna Sairam (vocal)
Patri Satish Kumar (mridangam)
Jyotsna Srikanth (violin)
Raag Shanmukhapriya