RAHUL VELLAL

 

Child Prodigy – Carnatic Music

 

Rahul R. Vellal, started learning Carnatic Music, at the tender age of 4. He has already performed Carnatic Music Concerts at several prestigious places across India and abroad and won prizes in many music competitions. He is learning Carnatic vocal music under renowned musicians Vidushi’s Ranjani & Gayatri. He was earlier learning Carnatic vocal music from Vidushi Kalavathy Avadhoot. He is learning to play the Mridangam from Vidwan Kulur U Jayachandra Rao. He is currently pursuing his Grade 8 in Western Piano fromthe Trinity School of Music (London) under the guidance of Sri Abhishek N.

 

Rahul has already performed Carnatic classical concerts internationally in 7 countries Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Lagos, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Africa & United Kingdom.

 

Awards and Accolades:

• Conferred “Raga Laya Prabha” Award from the prestigious Sree Rama Lalitha Kala Mandira, Bengaluru in May 2022.
• Rahul Vellal has been awarded "Change Maker 2022" by Deccan Herald in Feb 2022, for his noteworthy achievements in the field of Classical Music, at an young age.
• Rahul Vellal has been recognised as “BYJU’s YOUNG GENIUS 2022”, presented by Padmashree
• Shankar Mahadevan from CNN NEW18 Network in Jan 2022.
• Rahul Vellal has won the “Global Child Prodigy Awards 2020” in “Singing” Category and has also been recognized as the "Top 100 Global Child Prodigies of the World" by the GCP Awards Group.
• Shanmukhananda M S Subbulakshmi Fellowship 2018 for Carnatic Vocal, presented by Hon. Vice-President of India, Shri Venkaiah Naidu, September, 2018
• Rahul Vellal has received the “Youth Icon 2022” Award for Carnatic Music from Rotary International.
• Rahul Vellal has been interviewed by various International and National online digital and print media over the years. Prominent among them are his interviews with Padmashree Dr Sudha Raghunathan, Indian Fine Arts Academy (San Diego, California), Sarvamangala Sabha (Abu Dhabi,UAE), Sugam Culture & Heritage Foundation (Malaysia), CMC Marghazhi (Melbourne, Australia), RTHK The Works (Hong-Kong), Deccan Herald, New Indian Express, All India Radio Bengaluru, Ananya Kalasinchana - Bengaluru, Telangana Today and various other leading printed media publications.
• RISING STAR for Carnatic Music Award from LIVING, India’s premier luxury lifestyle magazine for
• Global Citizens, November, 2018
• Received the “Aalap Appreciation Award” instituted by Kappanna Angala & presented by Former
• Chief Justice of India, Sri M Venkatachaliah on 10-August-2019, in recognition of praiseworthy
• accomplishments in the field of Classical Music.
• Presented with a 5 ft 6” lamp by the Shanmukhanda Sabha, Mumbai, on December 31st, 2018, after his performance, in appreciation of his command over Carnatic Music at such a young age

Abhishek Raghuram is an Indian musician, composer, and singer. As a performer, he has earned critical acclaim from all corners for his mastery over content, control and technical excellence. As an artist, he is an explorer whose unique blend of physicality and firm rooting in traditional composition takes the listeners through a deep and thought provoking journey into the wide tapestry of Carnatic music. His reverence for compositions coupled with his bold and thought provoking interpretation of source material make his performances an intellectual and emotional journey for the listener. Primal yet polished. Subtle and layered, Abhishek’s wears his love for music on his sleeve and is audible in his searing voice that cuts across genres and has resonated in venues across India and the world.

His musical roots are deep, diverse and stem from a childhood steeped in process, understanding and dissection. "I listened with great curiosity, to all the sounds that nurtured me from childhood. My Mother Usha's music, the sounds that emanated from the mridangam of my Grandfather, Shri Palakkad Raghu created in me, an awe for the content, the structure, and gave me the wings to fly endlessly. The musical honing of Guru Shri PSN grounded me time and again to surrender, and search relentlessly for more.

What I love most is Sadhana, to engage in relentless pursuit, day after day, and the gems, in the infiniteness between notes never fail to show up, to shine, whether I search through my voice, my mridangam, the gems that shape my thoughts, that stir my inner being "

Kum. Spoorthi Rao, 17 years old, is an upcoming carnatic vocalist. Born in Bangalore, she started learning music at the young age of three from her mother Sindhu Rao. Earlier, she learnt from Vid. Yashasvi Subbarao and Sri Narahari Dixit, after which her family moved to Chennai to nurture her talent. She is now under the able guidance and tutelage of the renowned Vidushis Smt. Ranjani and Gayatri for over seven years.

With the blessings of her gurus, she had her arangetram in Rasika Ranjani Sabha as well as her first Margazhi music season in 2019, and has been blessed with opportunities to perform in prestigious platforms.

Some of the awards and recognitions Spoorthi has received include-

• Winner of kala utsav 2020 for classical music, a national level competition conducted by Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.
• KEMPEGOWDA STAGE CIVILIAN AWARD - State Civilian Award by the Government of Karnataka in 2015
• All India Radio ‘child artiste’ at age 8
• Performed internationally-World tour in Canada, Australia, Wembley Arena-London, Singapore, Sri Lanka with legends like SP Balasubramaniam, Shankar Mahadevan, KS Chitra, Vijay Prakash and many others at age 9. Invited to perform a classical concert in Chicago (Chicago Thyagaraja Utsavam) and Malaysia.
• Winner of Airtel Super Singer Junior 4 - a musical reality show by Vijay Television with over 2 crore SMS and online votes from all over the world with judges such as Oscar Awardee Sri. A R Rahman, Padma Bhushan S Janaki, Padma Vibhushan, Sangeetha Kalanidhi Smt. Sudha Raghunathan and Sri TN Seshagopalan, late composer M S Viswanathan, Sri SP Balasubramaniam (she sang a duet with the late legend in a concert in London)
• Spandana Super Singer winner at age 5 in California, a competition held across all states of the United States of America.
• Carnatic Sangeet Samraat 2018 finalist
• Runner up of Times Thyagaraja Awards at age 13.
• Finalist of the Carnatic Quest 2020 by HCL Digital Concerts
• Madras Music Academy - Vocal music for ladies and gents (1st prize) along with prizes in several other categories.
• 5 Million views for Vizhigal Meeno sung in front of late Sri SP Balasubramaniam
• 20 Million/2 Crore views for duet with renowned playback singer Sri Mano in a concert in Australia, 2 Million views for Innudaya Barade from a concert in 2019. Released ‘Baaro Krishnayya’ for Strumm Spiritual YouTube channel with 1M views, along with two other songs for the same music label.

She has been blessed to perform in prestigious sabhas and venues such as-

• Arkay Convention Centre (Madhuradhwani)
• Abbas Kalai Vizha - Kamarajar Arangam and Vani Mahal
• Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Chennai and Coimbatore
• Brahma Gana Sabha
• Bangalore Gayana Samaja
• Bharatiya Saamagaana Sabha - ‘Namastubhyam series’ in the prestigious Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Bengaluru
• Bengaluru Ganesha Utsava (2016 and 2020)
• Chicago Thyagaraja Utsavam 2018
• DD Podhigai TV - Neralayil Isai Alai
• Global Heritage Arts Fest 2020 by Parthasarathy Swami Sabha and International Music Premier League
• Part of Thyagaraja Akhandam by International Music Premier League (50 hours non-stop music which came in Limca Book of Records)
• MadRasana Tinge - a unique series of five themed concerts by five upcoming artistes in front of a green audience of plants, first of its kind in India, conceptualised by Vinay Varanasi and Mahesh Venkateswaran.
• Naada Tanumanisham’ series of concerts for Shivaratri by IMPL and Carnatica global.
• Kartik Fine Arts
• Kedaram Fine Arts - at Raga Sudha Hall and Vani Mahal
• Madras Music Academy-Thyagaraja Aradhana 2020
• Ministry Of Culture, Government of India in association with Samarpana
• Nada Sudha, Velachery
• Raga Sudha Rasa series by Mani Krishnaswami Academy
• SVBC TTD - ‘Sangeetha Sangamam’, a young talent concert series
• Fundraiser online concert for Ministry Of Culture, Government of India in association with Samarpana, an NGO in aid of families of folk artistes, reaching over 150,000 views.
• Udupi Krishna Mutt.
• Vani Mahal - Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha
• Yuva Sangeet Utsav 2021 - Inaugural concert of the series featuring 120 young musicians by Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha
• Online concerts for Mani Krishnaswami Academy, Natana Tarangini Academy, Ranjani Memorial Trust, Malaysia Sugam Heritage Fest and several international organizations
• She has been blessed with the opportunity to perform with senior vidwans like HN Bhaskar, L Ramakrishnan, Vittal Rangan, Senior artiste Ganapathyraman mama, Sai Giridhar, Sumesh Narayan, Ghatam Krishna, Anirudh Athreya, Ghatam Karthik, NC Bharadwaj, KJ Dileep, M Vijay, Sunil Kumar and so on.

Spoorthi is currently studying in Class XI, scored 99% in CBSE Class 10 boards and has affinity towards her academics.

K.N. SASHIKIRAN

Born into a family of renowned musicians on the 10th of September, Sashikiran soon made his mark in the family. His grandfather, Gottuvadyam Narayana Iyengar was a legend in his times, not to mention his father 'Chitravina' Narasimhan, a musician with a vision and mission and brother 'Chitravina' Ravikiran, and an internationally acclaimed genius. His father discovered Sashikirans's talents when he was a mere toddler and nurtured it with great care. Thus, at two, he stormed the music world as a child prodigy who could identify Ragas (melodies), demonstrate complicated Talas (rhythms) and answer other technical questions pertaining to Carnatic music. He has also had the privilege of honing his musical skills under stalwarts like T Brinda, T Vishwanathan and K S Krishnamurthy.

Having made his mark as a vocalist and scholar, Sashikiran currently performs Vocal Duet concerts along with his cousin 'Chitravina' Parthasarathy Ganesh. They are popularly known as the CARNATICA BROTHERS.

Talent

His first vocal concert was at the age of 9, when he sang in tandem with his younger sister Kiranavali. Since then, there has been no looking back for Sashikiran. He is now an established vocalist with a vast experience of over 1000 concerts including lectures-demos, jugalbandis and fusions in prominent organizations in India, USA, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia and so on. He has been regularly featured in Radio, Television networks and commercial albums. He also has the added advantage of being a mridangist, having trained under the late Palghat Sundaram.

He obtained a Bachelor's degree in Music from the University of Madras where he ranked first. Then followed a Master's degree in Music from the University of Madras where again his talents showed as he was a Gold Medalist. He is currently working towards achieving a Doctorate on "Teaching Methodology in Carnatic Music". Alongside he also holds a diploma in Audio and Video Technology.

Sashikiran has won laurels many a time for his talent. He was awarded the Rani Sethulakshmi Bai Memorial Award in 1990, the Best Pallavi Singer for his concert at the Rasika Ranjani.

Sashikiran doesn't limit his himself to field of music alone. He contributes to other websites and newspapers through articles and reviews. Sabha in Trichy which was a series featuring many eminent musicians. In 1997 he received an award for being the Best Exponent of Any Raga from the Music Academy. Also included among this never ending list of accolades are an award from the Carnatic Music Association of North America in 1998 for being the Best Vocalist and finally the Bharat Nirman Excellence Award in 1999 for meritorious accomplishments in diverse fields of activity that have immensely contributed to the Nation's progress. He is the youngest person and the first musician in India to receive this honour .He was the recipient of the Ford Foundation scholarship on the "Vina Dhanammal Bani" in 1990. His recent awards are Yuva Kala Bharathi-2001 -2002 & Outstanding Young Indian by Jaysees - Special millennium Honor award.

He was the lead male vocalist in Chitravina Ravikiran's ballet, Lakshmi Prabhavam, premiered in the US, which performed to packed halls and standing ovations in over 20 cities in the USA and Canada in between March and June 1997.

He has conducted and compered several quiz programs, participated in panel discussions and presented papers in major centres like the Rice University, Houston; Ethnomusicology Society, Indiana State University; Drew University, New Jersey.

He was featured by the National Radio, Purdue, USA and US and Singapore Television networks

He is the Founder and Managing Director for Srishti's Carnatica Private Limited along with noted Carnatic vocalist S.Sowmya and is also the Managing Trustee of Carnatica Archival Centre. He was the Former Course Director and Chief Co-coordinator for the International Foundation for Carnatic Music . His success as a concert artiste has been immense and he is a very well known young artist of the present generation. He has had over five years of successful experience in management, administration, co-ordination, public relations, concept-designing and marketing.

 

TECHNO - MUSICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Producer, author and the spirit behind the world's first interactive and encyclopedic CD-ROM on Carnatic music titled "Nadanubhava - The horizons of Carnatic music".

Joint Creator and developer of the world's first twin-pack VCD on Carnatic music titled "Nadopasana - My own Carnatic tutor ", a self-help guru with Karaoke features.

Producer of other popular music albums (audio & video) like the VCD on Bharatiyar songs, Vintage reminiscences and "Melting melodies".

Designer of one of the first websites on Carnatic music - http://www.clickcarnatica.com, http://www.carnatica.com & www.mymusicalbum.com. Is the Managing Director of Srishti's Carnatica Pvt. Ltd. and heads www.carnatica.com.

Is the Executive Trustee of Carnatica Archival Centre

Actively involved in documenting Carnatic music through the Carnatica Archival Centre in Project Carnatic music - 2010.

Coordinator of several successful events like Raganubhava, Sahityanubhava, Layanubhava, Vadyanubhava and Natyanubhava series.

 

GANESH P.

“Chitravina” Parthasarathy Ganesh, world-record setting slide instrumentalist and vocalist, is the grandson of the legendary Gottuvadyam Narayana Iyengar. He stormed into the world of carnatic music even at the tender age of two and a half, just like his illustrious cousin, Chitravina N Ravikiran. Trained by Chitravina maestro Narasimhan (his maternal uncle), Ganesh was able to identify and render around 225 Ragas and 175 Talas and answer numerous other technical questions with ease.

Ganesh also had the rare privilege of learning from Sangeeta Kalanidhi T Brinda for a few years and is among the best chitravina performers in the country today. In May 2004, he set a record for the longest concert by any slide instrumentalist in the world by playing non-stop for 32 and half hours in Chennai, India. An A-grade artiste of All India Radio and Doordarshan, Ganesh has performed in tandem with Ravikiran as Asia Brothers and also accompanied top notch artistes like Smt T Mukta, Dr Balamuralikrishna and Smt Sowmya in several concerts and recordings.

Ganesh is also a highly competent vocalist and teams up with his cousin, Narasimhan Sashikiran, to present vocal duet concerts as ‘Carnatica brothers’. He has toured the world extensively and performed in major venues all over India, USA, UK, Europe, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New zealand and the Middle-East. He also holds the world record along with Sashikiran, as he first vocal duo pair to perform non-stop for 24 hours. Ganesh is also much sought after as a teacher, and is presently in the faculty of Carnatica’s Gurukulam.

Ganesh has also been featured as a vocalist and chitravina artiste in Ravikiran’s melodic ensemble, Vintage Virtuosos. Some of his albums include Music of the world (released in France), Resonating Ragas, Sixth element, Samarpanam, Navagraha Krtis and Rama Vaibhavam.  Bahu daari.

Ganesh also plays Hawaiian guitar and has given many fusions and concerts. He has shown a flair for composing as well, having already created few varnams, krtis, tillanas and a few instrumental pieces. He has bagged several awards such as Yuva Kala Bharati (Bharat Kalachar, Chennai), Gandharva Vidya Dhara (Irai Pani Manram, Chennai), Best Pallavi Award (Music Academy, Madras), Best concert Award (Narada Gana Sabha, Chennai and Music Academy Chennai ), Best Pallavi Concert Award on the Chitravina (Karnataka Gana Kala Parishad), Maharajapuram Vishwanatha Iyer Award and the Asthana Vidwan of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, to name a few

PRADYUMNA BHAT

 

Pradyumna Bhat is a Carnatic Music Vocalist hails from Bangalore, India and residing in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Pradyumna was born on Dec 2008.

Pradyumna began  learning Carnatic Music at the age of 5 under the tutelage of Vid. AVS Sundarajan at ICC Kuala Lumpur.

He further continued his Carnatic Music learning from Vid. Vinaya Karthik Rao from World of Wellness (WOW).

Pradyumna is currently  learning intricacies of Carnatic Music under the guidance of Vid. Aneesh V Bhat, a renowned performing Carnatic Musician (a disciple of Kalaimamani Dr. R Suryaprakash).

Pradyumna has given Carnatic vocal concerts in India and various International prestigious sabha.

Pradyumna has also participated and won prizes in many global Carnatic Music competitions.

SHARDUL KRISHNAKUMAR

Shardul started his formal training under Sri Ashvin Bhogendra and has been learning from him for the past 10 years. He has been learning from his grandmother Smt Suguna Varadachari for the past 5 years. Also undergoing layam training from guru Sri Suresh Ramachandran.

Since 2014, Shardul has participated in several prestigious North America based music festivals and won several prizes in competitions held at Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana, Sivan Fine arts and Saptami. He has performed in organisations such BRINDAVANI, Sruti Thyagaraja Aradhana, Carnatic Symphony and Carnatic Choir events conducted by Sri K.N. Shashikiran and Sri Neyveli Santhanagopalan respectively as well as Sustaining Sampradaya concert conducted by the Cleveland Aradhana committee in 2018, 2019 & 2023.

Shardul gave his first performance in Chennai at Sunaadalahari run by the INDIRA RANGANTHAN TRUST in 2018. He has also performed at various venues in and around NJ since 2017.  He was also part of charity fundraiser concerts for NJ PANDEMUC RELIEF FUND and HELP FOUNDATION in 2020.

To spread positivity during the COVID pandemic, he gave onlinte performances via FB and other platforms for a few organisations such as NJ Mahaperiyava mani mandapam, Suswara Whatsapp, Shankara Nethralaya OM trust, MSNAFAF, Music of Madras, Nadasudha, Anandam Lives Music, SR Fine Arts & Paravur Dakshina Mookambika Saraswathy Mandapam .

Apart from performing at various temples in NJ during 2022 Margazhi season, his other performances include Bharath Sangeeth Sanskruthi Utsav by Sri KN Shashiran in Aug’22 and Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana Festival in Apr’23.

Recordings:

Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana Festival-Apr 2023- https://youtu.be/SFVVCiqAU8M

GOD SATSANG NEW JERSEY(Home concert)-DEC 2022-https://youtu.be/dt3XjNwicwM

OM SAI BALAJI TEMPLE, NJ-DEC 2022-https://youtu.be/UTPRO44vMOk

Bharath Sangeeth Sanskruthi Utsav- Aug 2022- https://youtu.be/qBZRCog6AQ8

SUNAADALAHARI-DEC 2021- https://www.youtube.com/live/YuJa7wqa_EY?feature=share

CHARULATHA CHANDRASEKAR

Charulatha Chandrasekar started learning Veena under the tutelage of her Grandmother, Sangeetha kala Acharya Dr. R. S. Jayalakshmi, an eminent Musician-Teacher-Musicologist, at the age of 6 years.

Born in the year 2006, at the age of 7 years, she participated in the Fide World Chess Championship 2013- Inaugural Ceremony, where 70 Veena artists performed in front of the former late Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu – Dr. J. Jayalalithaa. She has continued to learn and perform on the Veena ever since.

She has participated in several competitions and won several prizes and some awards listed later. She has also over 300 cutcheries to her credit over the years. She has performed at a number of venues and events in Chennai including at The Music Academy, Bharathiya Vidhya Bhavan, Raga Sudha Hall, Mudra-Infosys Hall, Arkay Convention Center, Kalakshetra, Nada Sudha- Velachery, Narada Gana Sabha, the Veena Festival each year organized by Dr. B Kannan,at Sir PT Thyagaraya Hall as part of ‘Marghazi Isai Vizha’ to name a few. Outside of Chennai, she had performed at several venues in Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Malaysia, and Indian Raga Labs(for Online) among others.

She has performed over 60 concerts online on Facebook and Youtube over the last year and half. Last but not the least, she had been part of the ‘Isai Mazhalai’ group of Sri Abhasvaram Ramji.

Projects:

VaigumVaigai Thorum- Youtube Audio Track- Tuned and rendered by Dr. Subhasini Parthasarathy 400

Valam Varum Bharathi- FB Audio Track- Tuned and rendered by Shri Rajkumar Bharathy and Dr. Gayathri Girish

Sundara Madhura Ganam Book Release- Youtube Video- Compositions tuned and Orchestra conducted by Vidhusi Smt Dr R S Jayalakshmi

Sundara Divya Ganam Book Release- Youtube Video- Compositions tuned and Orchestra conducted by Vidhusi Smt Seetha Narayanan

Sundara Amutha Ganam Book Release- Youtube Video- Compositions tuned and orchestra conducted by Vid. K. Arun Prakash 

Seppu Mozhi Padhinettudaiyal (Mahakavi Bharathi’s verse in 18 Languages)- Youtube Audio Track- Tuned and conducted by Vid. K. Arunprakash and sung by Vid. Anuradha Sriram

 

Links to Some Performances

 RECENT 

Rama Kala Mandhir – Bangalore – Oct 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HfvD70AF9g 

Veena concert by C.Charulatha - Mudhra’s Veenotsav 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM6etShBGQs

Parivadini Live – Naada Inbam – 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhhZJw93BWI&t=1581s - Apr 2021

 

FaceBook Concert https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=5405084366205 48

 

EARLY RECORDS 

At Badrachalam, Andhra Pradesh (Sri Bhaktha Ramadasu 381st Jayanthi) –2014 https://youtu.be/05GDRp9ht6M

FIDE-World Chess Championship – Inaugural Function Video – 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbRdObOsAYs (Charulatha is seen at 1:43:56 at a close view in the video)

 

In the Press

https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/meet-the-little- vainika/article24995575.ece

http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/childs-play- indeed/article5347166.ece 

Charulatha Supports her Grandmother for a Lec-Dem - Review https://indiansapidnews.com/lifestyle/vipanchika-mahotsavam-in-kochi- celebrated-the-music-of-the-veena-through-recitals-and-seminars/

 

Information on Awards/Recognitions (reverse chronological order)

Winner-1st Prize Instrumental- Global Digital Pallavi Darbar 2021(Virtual) 

Winner – 1 st Prize Instrumental- The Carnatic Quest- HCL 

Received the Bharat Ratna Smt. MS Subbulakshmi Fellowship Award – 2019 – Sree Shanmukhananda Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha, Mumbai 

‘Junior Veena Artist’ Award – 2018 – Narada Gana Sabha 

Winner - Pallavi Darbar organized by CarnaticWorld.com in association with Parthasarthy Swami Sabha – 2018 - Chennai, India 

Winner – Young Promising Talent award organized by Shri Karthikeya Gana Sabha Secunderabad.--- 2018 – Hyderabad, India 

Winner - Radel Veena Competition in 2018 - Bangalore, India  Winner - Veena Competition - RR Sabha, Trichy –2018 Received the ‘Yuva Shree Kala Bharati’ Award from Bharathi Yuva Kendra, Madurai - 2018 

Winner - 1st Prize for Veena-Instrumental and 2st Prize for Veena Seshanna competitions conducted by Gayana Samaja- Bangalore – 2017 

Winner - 1st Prize Instrumental - Mylapore Fine arts Society – 2017 

Runner-up - 2nd prize Radel Veena Competition – 2017 

Winner - 1st Prize Instrumental Competition - Narada Gana Sabha – 2017 

Winner - 1st Prize Instrumental Competition - Music Academy – 2017 

Received the Valayapatti Kaashyap Child Artist Award - 2016 - Tamil Nadu 

Runner Up - Sangeet Bala Samrat Award – Competition at National Level in association with Shankara TV – 2016 - Chennai, India 

Winner - 1st Prize for Instrumental Competition at Arun’s Isai Pattarai - A competition at Music Academy – 2015  Winner - 1st Prize for Instrumental – Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha – 2014  Thambura Award – ‘Maham Parampara’ organized by Y.G. Madhuvanthi (granddaughter of Mrs. Y.G. Parthasarathy and daugther of Sri. Y.G. Mahendran) – 2014

RISHABH KAUSHIK

 Rishabh Kaushik, 14, from Los Angeles, California is a vocal disciple of Vid KN Shashikiran and Carnatic keyboard disciple of Smt Srivaralaxmi Maya. Rishabh comes from a family with significant musical lineage traced back to eminent mridangist Vid. Thanjavur Vaidyanatha Iyer to others in current generations. His maiden performance was at age 9 during Chennai’s Marghazhi season and since has performed in several prestigious venues such as Brahma Gana Sabha, Chembur Fine Arts, Hamsadhwani, Global Carnatic Music Association, Rasika Ranjani Sabha, Madhuradhwani, Carnatica and Parthasarathy Swami Sabha, Tamil Nadu Govt Music College, Mani Krishnaswami etc in India.

In USA he has performed in the prestigious Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana (Ohio), Carnatical Global-Silicon Andhra University (San Fransisco), SciArtsRUs USA in Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, Janet and Scherr Performing Arts Theatre, Hamsadhwani (Los Angeles), Bharat Sangeet Natya Kala Utsav (San Jose), Nadotsavam at SV temple (Minneapolis), Mahaperiva Manimandapam (NJ) etc. He is the youngest inductee for Carnatic keyboard in the Live4You Hall of Fame award 2022 received from Shri N. Murali of Music Academy. He is also a Gold Medal winner in advanced contemporary piano. Rishabh is the recipient of several prizes in Carnatic Vocal and Keyboard in prestigious competitions like Cleveland Aradhana and won over 13 prizes in the Sugam Culture and Heritage Foundation music contest.

He has been recognized as a role model for students by the Conejo Valley School Board of Directors, Thousand Oaks for leveraging his musical talent to bring awareness of inclusion in the performing arts. Rishabh has been accompanied by stalwart musicians in India and USA and his performance reviews and social initiative “Service Through Music” has been published in over 7 international newspapers and magazines such as The Hindu, Times of India, Mylapore Times and other city papers in India, Conejo Valley lifestyle, Simi Valley Acorn and Dos Vientos living in USA.