Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar a.k.a. Vaidyanatha Iyer was a Carnatic music singer from Palakkad. Known by his village name Chembai, or simply as Bhagavatar, he was born to Anantha Bhagavatar and Parvati Ammal in 1896, into a Tamil Brahmin family in Perakkool Madom, adjacent to Lokanarkavu near Vatakara on Janmashtami day. He lived here until he was five years old. The family later shifted to Palakkad. Chembai was noted for his powerful voice and majestic style of singing. His first public performance was in 1904, when he was nine. A recipient of several titles and honours, he was known for his encouragement of upcoming musicians and ability to spot new talent. He was responsible for popularising compositions like Rakshamam Saranagatam and Pavana Guru, among others. The music critic 'Aeolus' described him as "the musician who has meant the most to Carnatic Music in the first fifty years of the 20th century." His prominent disciples include Chembai Narayana Bhagavathar, Mangu Thampuran, Guruvayur Ponnammal, T. V. Gopalakrishnan, V. V. Subramaniam, P. Leela, K. G. Jayan, K. G. Vijayan, K. J. Yesudas, Kudumaru Venkataraman and Babu Parameswaran, among others. He also mentored many young accompanists, including Palghat Mani Iyer, Lalgudi Jayaraman, M. S. Gopalakrishnan, T. N. Krishnan, Palani Subramaniam Pillai and L. Subramaniam. Memorial music festivals have been held in his honour annually since his death in 1974, the most important being the annually celebrated Chembai Sangeetholsavam.
Mysore Venkatesha Doreswamy Iyengar (1920-1997) was a Carnatic musician and one of the greatest exponents of the veena in modern Indian history.
Ghatam Giridhar Udupa is an Indian percussionist and a leading exponent of the ghatam. He is one of the members of Layatharanga, a team of Indian classical musicians who have embarked on the task of blending different forms of classical, folk and world music. In 2015 he founded and has since served as the director of The Udupa Foundation, a registered charitable trust with the aim of promoting music, performing arts and culture.
"Bombay" Jayashri Ramnath is an Indian Carnatic vocalist, singer and musician. She has sung in multiple languages including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi movies. Born into a family of musicians, Jayashri represents the fourth generation of music practitioners in her family. Trained by Lalgudi Jayaraman and T R Balamani, she was awarded India's fourth highest civilian award the Padma Shri in 2021. She has become one of the most sought after Carnatic musicians today.
Bangalore Gayana Samaja is one of the oldest cultural organisations in Bangalore and was established in 1905. It is the oldest operational sabhā in India. The organisation focuses on various Indian forms of Indian music such as Carnatic music, Hindustani music, devotional, light music, Harikathe, folk music and theatre along with various Indian dance forms such as Bharatanatya, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Kathakali, Chau, Odissi and Manipuri.
Umayalpuram Kasiviswanatha Sivaraman is an Indian musician and exponent of the Carnatic percussion instrument, the mridangam. He is a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan as well as the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
Rudrapatna Krishnashastri Srikantan, known as R. K. Srikantan, was a vocalist of the Carnatic musical tradition of South Indian music. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1995.
B. Shankar Rao was an Indian flautist who specialised in classical carnatic music.
Vani Sateesh is a Carnatic vocalist.
Tripunithura Viswanathan Gopalakrishnan, known as TVG, is a Carnatic and Hindustani musician from Cochin, Kerala, India. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 2014.
K. V. Krishna Prasad, also known as KP, is a Carnatic music vocalist.
K. S. Bhavani Shankar, is an Indian Mridangam player, music composer and film actor known for his accompanying skills for Indian classical music and Dance. He was chosen Best Accompanying artist in 1983, from Bangalore Gayana Samaj. He was conferred the title "Mridanga Chatura" in 1984 by the Bangalore Gayana Samaj. In 1996, he was awarded an Arts Council of England travel grant, the highest award given to traditional artists and musicians to perform outside UK.
Mysore V. Srikanth is a Carnatic music violinist. And the sibling of the famous Carnatic flautist Raman kalyan. He has also accompanied him on various concerts.
H. K. Venkatram is an Indian classical music violinist and Philanthropist. Venkatram has been an active violinist for over 30 years in India and abroad. He is known for his classical style of play and maturity on the violin.
Tirumazhisai Bhashyam Narasimhachar "Saragrahi" was a well-known Carnatic music critic from Bangalore, India. He was born to Bhashyam Ramachar and Srirangamma in a Sri Vaishnava family.
Ratnamala Prakash is an Indian singer who sings in Kannada language. Along with playback signing, she is known for her songs in Sugama Sangeetha, a light musical genre in Kannada. Her father R. K. Srikantan was a Carnatic classical musician. In 2016, Rathnamala was awarded the Sangeet Natak Academy Award for her contribution to the field of Sugama Sangeetha.
Sampagodu S. Vighnaraja is an Indian Carnatic music, vocalist, flutist and music composer, a popular proponent of the GNB School. He is also a carnatic flutist and carnatic slide guitarist.
Lalgudi Rajalakshmi is a violinist in the Indian classical Carnatic style of music. She performs the violin in the Lalgudi tradition.
T. S. Sathyavathi is an Indian musicologist, performer and scholar from Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Sukanya Ramgopal is an Indian carnatic musician from Tamil Nadu. She is best known as the first woman ghatam player in Carnatic music. She is also proficient in carnatic vocal, violin, mridangam and veena. She received several awards including Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Karnataka Sangeeta Nritya Academy Award and awards from Madras Music Academy, Chennai.
