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Carnatic Classical Vocal by Trivandrum K Krishnakumar & Binny Krishnakumar

Feb 272012

K.KRISHNAKUMAR and BINNI KRISHNAKUMAR have been a popular vocal musician couple in Carnatic music and the film music as well. Hailing from the State of Kerala in South India, they have widely traveled in India and abroad to perform solo and duo Carnatic concerts and theme-oriented special concerts.

They are the disciples of the doyen of Indian Classical music, Padmavibhushan Chevalier Dr.M.BALAMURALIKRISHNA. The duo presents traditional music in a very trendy and scintillating style.

K.KRISHNAKUMAR also known as Trivandrum Krishnakumar is ‘GRADE A’ artist of the AIR, a First Rank holder in Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts in Indian Classical Music and also a First Class graduate in Mathematics from the University of Kerala. He is also qualified to be a lecturer in South Indian Classical music as per the University Grants Commission of India. Among many awards and accolades received by Krishnakumar, the notable ones are the National Award in All India Radio competition, “The Chembai Award” – the Government of Kerala, ‘Tamizh Isai Thendral’ – 125 year old Saiva prakasa Sabha, Trivandrum, ‘Padmasree Rajam Ramaswamy Award’ – Best rendering in Sanskrit –The Music Academy, Chennai, “Aasthaana Vidwaan” – Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. Apart from being a vocal musician singing Carnatic concerts and in films, Krishnakumar is also a music composer by producing music for stage shows and for more than 25 music albums for music companies of repute.

BINNI KRISHNAKUMAR is a First Rank holder in Master of philosophy in Indian Classical Music. Among her major solo Carnatic concerts all over, the remarkable were the one for the 40th Annual Festival of the Kerala Legislative Assembly and the other for the Onam Festival 1997 of Kerala Tourism which became the history of events in Kerala, Binni performed a concert on a dais placed in the center of a huge water pond (Sreevaraham) while the audience listened to the concert sitting at the steps on the four shores. Some among the awards and titles of recognition on Binni are the title “Kalaathilakam” – Government of Kerala, Best Female Playback Singer – FILMFARE AWARD 2005 for the song “RA RA” in the film Chandramuki of the superstar Rajinikanth, music directed by Sri.Vidyasagar, Best Singer
Award – for television – by Mylapore Academy and Maha fine arts – for the title song “azhagukku noorazhaku” of the serial Lakshmi. She has sung in more than 46 feature films, title songs for 19 television serials and 127 music albums in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, and Bengali etc.

Sapthaakshara – The Seven Elements of Music

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Jan 242012

rasika presents the Fall 2012 US national tour of Sapthaakshara – Ghatam maestro Vikku Vinayakaram’s brilliant ensemble cast of percussionists in a dazzling rhythmic experience that is a not to miss experience!

Lead by Ghatam (clay pot) percussion maestro Padmashree Vikku Vinayakaram, the brilliant cast of percussionists present the dazzling rhythms of ancient India with rare percussion instruments.

Book these amazing artists who have been receiving rave reviews from public, press and peer musicians in your city for a memorable experience.

The magic of South Indian Classical Percussion springs to life with Sapthaakshara. Sapthaakshara aptly draws their name from the number “7″ – seven is the number of instruments played by the group, the seven-syllable system used in the South Indian Carnatic Percussion System and seven members in the group.

At the forefront of this group is Sri T.H. Vinayakaram affectionately known as Vikku; he has transformed himself into an international celebrity with his arresting drumming on the Ghatam. The group has members who are talented in their respective fields of South Indian percussion. The instruments performed are Mridangam, Kanjira, Ghatam, Morsing, Gethu and Konnakol (vocal percussion) complimented by vocal support.

Bharata Natyam Performance by Urmila Sathyanarayanan

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Nov 122011

Urmila Sathyanarayanan is one of India’s finest dancers of Bharata Natyam, the classical dance from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Urmila has received rave reviews and international acclaim for the perfection and joy of her dance and her captivating stage presence.

She is praised for her crisp and precise footwork, the spontaneity and vivaciousness of
her facial expressions, her graceful poses, and her deep aramandi (plié position) which is one of the hallmarks of this dance style. Urmila is also an astute choreographer and has conceptualized, choreographed and presented close to a dozen of her own original thematic productions to high critical acclaim.

Urmila has been performing at the professional level for over two decades. She performs regularly at all the prominent dance festivals across India. She has also toured extensively in Europe, North America, the Middle East, Australia, Asia, and South Africa. Urmila is an empanelled artist of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and an ‘A Top’ grade Artist of Doordarshan (Indian public television).

Urmila has been trained by some of India’s most eminent dance masters. She had undergone her initial training under the late Guru K.N. Dandayudapani Pillai and was later groomed under Guru K.J. Sarasa.

Urmila has been the recipient of many prestigious awards, including the Kalaimamani award in 1997, Nritya Choodamani Award in 2001, and the National Eminence Award in 2003 to name only a few. In 2009 the Indian Fine Arts Society awarded her the Best Natyacharya
award in recognition of her excellence in teaching, and in 2010, Natya Kalasikhamani for her contribution to the dance field.

In addition to her busy performance schedule, Urmila runs a successful dance school in Chennai (Madras) known for its high standards.

Webmaster: Ravi Sathyanarayana

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