Vid. Dr. Shertallay K. N. Renganatha Sharma — Vocal Artiste

Profile and Musical Training

Vid. Dr. Shertallay K. N. Renganatha Sharma is a renowned Vocal Artiste in the field of Carnatic music today. He was groomed under the thorough training of the ‘Guru Kula’ system by his father, Sri Cherthala Narayana Iyer, who belonged to the ‘Semmangudi Tradition’.

Education and Academic Career

Dr. Sharma secured his graduation and post-graduation in Music from Calicut University with First Rank and pursued his M.Phil. degree at Madras University (1990). He accomplished his doctoral degree at Madurai Kamaraj University.

Dr. Sharma joined Sri Sathguru Sangeetha Vidhyalayam, College and Research Centre for Music, Madurai, in 1993 and is presently serving as Associate Professor and Research Guide.

Concert Career and Broadcasting

With a concert career extending over three and a half decades, Dr. Sharma is also engaged in conducting lecture-demonstrations and workshops on different aspects of Carnatic music.

Dr. Sharma is an ‘A-Top’ Grade Vocal Artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan.

All India Radio South Zone Hook-Up concerts, Radio Sangeeth Sammelan concerts, and A.I.R. National Programmes are among the prestigious slots in AIR. Along with performances at many leading and prestigious sabhas in Chennai, it is worth mentioning that the Music Academy has continuously honored Dr. Sharma by giving him the senior concert slot during the December Margazhi Festival.

Awards and Titles

Dr. Sharma has received the following honors:

• Best Raga Alapana — Music Academy, Chennai, Margazhi Festival 2008
• Best Outstanding Vocalist — Music Academy, Chennai, Margazhi Festival 2010
• Meritorious Award — Maharajapuram Santhanam Trust
• Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy Award — 2011

Some of the titles bestowed upon Dr. Sharma include:

• Ragalaya Kalanidhi — Dubai
• Asthanavidwan — Kanchi Mutt
• Sangeethasri — Travancore Music Society, Harippad
• Isaijnana Thilakam — Udumalaipettai

Albums and Personal Life

Among his many albums, Malayala Manorama has released recordings of Dr. Sharma, including Ragam Tanam Pallavi, Gems of Tyagaraja, Mohiyattam Padams, and Saraswathi Compositions.

Dr. Sharma is married to Smt. Mohana, also a professional singer in Carnatic music. They are blessed with two children who are also earnestly involved in learning Carnatic music.

Vid. Vittal Ramamoorthy — Violin

Profile and Musical Legacy

An internationally acclaimed violinist and top-ranking artist of All India Radio, Vittal Ramamurthy is the torchbearer and leading disciple of the Lalgudi bani.

An exceptionally dedicated and gifted performer, he has an impressive record as a solo artist, accompanist, teacher par excellence, and, last but not least, a humble student of the art.

He has featured in numerous violin solo concerts and accompanied stalwarts of the present and yesteryears throughout the world. He travels around the globe performing, educating, and promoting India's rich musical heritage.

Honors and Recognition

Many prestigious institutions and organizations have recognized Vittal's contribution to Carnatic music and bestowed numerous awards upon him.

He is blessed to be the Astana Vidwan of Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetam and Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam.

The Mayor of the city of Tempe, Arizona, USA, Mr. Corey Woods, declared November 5, 2023, as “Vittal Ramamurthy Day” in recognition of his contributions and service to Carnatic music as an educator and performer.

Teaching and Community Service

As part of his commitment to giving back to society, he conducts free summer music camps at his native home, Karunbithil (near Dharmasthala, India), for around 300 children every year, grooming them in the style of Gurukulam.

Critical Acclaim

The Indian Express has stated:

“It is always a musical feast to hear the violin speak through the expressive bow of Vittal Ramamurthy.”

Mridangam Exponent Thanjavur K. Murugaboopathi

Profile and Musical Training

Vidwan Thanjavur K. Murugaboopathi (Boopathi) is one of the world's most celebrated mridangam players today. His techniques and creative ability in accompaniment, solo renditions, and jugalbandhi programmes with his North Indian brethren have earned him much acclaim around the world.

Murugaboopathi hails from a family of musicians and artists spanning several generations. He is one of the few performers in the world today who trained in the rare ‘Gurukula’ method, living with one's guru while learning, with mridangam maestro Guru Tanjore Upendran for over ten years.

Boopathi initially trained under Shri T. R. Srinivasan from the Tamil Nadu Music College, Chennai, before his Gurukula training.

Concert Career and Collaborations

Murugaboopathi's percussion career has been a colourful spectrum of accompaniment to a legion of maestros and virtuosos in Carnatic vocal and instrumental music.

Prominent vocalists include:

• Sri M. Balamuralikrishna
• Sri T. V. Sankaranarayanan
• Madurai Sri T. N. Seshagopalan
• Sri P. S. Narayanaswami
• Sri Sanjay Subramanyam
• Sri P. Unnikrishnan
• Sri T. M. Krishna
• Carnatica Brothers
• Smt. Sudha Raghunathan
• Smt. Aruna Sairam
• Smt. Nithyashree Mahadevan

Renowned instrumentalists include flautist Dr. N. Ramani, mandolin player Sri U. Srinivas, saxophonist Sri Kadri Gopalnath, violinist brothers Sri Ganesh and Sri Kumaresh, Mysore Sri Nagaraj and Sri Manjunath, vainika Smt. Nirmala Rajasekar, and flautist Sri Shashank.

In addition, he has collaborated with several Hindustani musicians in Jugalbandi concerts, including Ustad Sultan Khan, Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan, Pandit Viswa Mohan Bhaatt, Pandit Ronu Majumdar, Sri Gaurav Mazumdar, Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, Pandit Ramdas Palsule, Pandit Abhijit Chatterjee, and others.

Boopathi has also performed with several Western and other world musicians to create multifaceted music and foster cultural understanding.

International Performances

Murugaboopathi has performed at a wide array of prestigious venues in India and around the world, including:

• United Nations, New York
• Royal Albert Hall, London
• Theater De La Ville, Paris
• Public Broadcasting Service Studios, USA
• Esplanade Bay Theatres, Singapore

His performances have also taken him to numerous venues across the USA, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Africa.

In 2011, alongside veena artiste Smt. Nirmala Rajasekar, he performed at the Konya Mystic Music Festival in Turkey, becoming one of the first Carnatic musicians in history to perform on Turkey's international music scene.

Teaching and Outreach

Murugaboopathi strongly believes in conducting and participating in outreach activities. He has shared his knowledge through lectures, music conferences, and seminars throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, and East Asia.

In addition to being a revered percussion guru, Boopathi has been instrumental in providing support, direction, and guidance towards incubating several arts organizations in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Awards and Honors

Thanjavur Sri K. Murugaboopathi has received numerous honors and awards, including: