M.S. Gopalakrishnan, a.k.a. MSG, was a violinist in the field of Carnatic music. He is commonly grouped with Lalgudi Jayaraman and T.N.Krishnan as part of the violin-trinity of Carnatic Music. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1997. He was a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Kalaimamani, Sangeetha Kalanidhi and Sangeet Natak Akademi awards.
Vadakke Manalath Govindan Nair popularly known as Kalamandalam Gopi, is an Indian dancer who is an exponent of the classical dance-drama style known as Kathakali.
Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair was a Kathakali dancer from Kerala in India.
Palghat R. Raghu was a Carnatic musician and percussionist. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 2007.
Kalamandalam Kallyanikutty Amma was an epoch-making Mohiniyattam danseuse from Kerala in southern India. A native of Thirunavaya in Malappuram district of the state, she was instrumental in resurrecting Mohiniyattam from a dismal, near-extinct state into a mainstream Indian classical dance, rendering it formal structure and ornamentation.
Neyyattinkara Vasudevan was a Carnatic music vocalist from Kerala in south India. The Padmasree-winning Carnatic vocalist and disciple of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and Ramnad Krishnan, he combined tradition and innovation in his widely acclaimed career. Vasudevan is famous as being one of the first from the Dalit community to excel in the field which was previously the preserve of the upper castes.
Kalamandalam Vasu Pisharody was an Indian Kathakali actor known for his classical dance-drama of Kerala. A frontline disciple of Padma Shri Vazhenkada Kunchu Nair, he exceled in virtuous pachcha, anti-hero Kathi and the semi-realistic minukku roles alike. Nalan, Bahukan, Arjunan, Bhiman, Dharmaputrar, Rugmangadan, Narakaasuran, Ravanan, Parashuraman and Brahmanan were his masterpieces. Vasu Pisharody performed Kathakali all over India and visited foreign countries about 20 times.
Sadanam Krishnankutty is a performer of Kathakali, a classical dance-drama form of Kerala, South India. A recipient of Kerala State Kathakali award and Kalamandalam fellowship, he has donned a wide range of characters in his acts. He received the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award in 2002, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2007, Honorary D.litt from Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University, Thirur, Kerala in 2021 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship in 2021.
Kalamandalam Krishnankutty Poduval (1924-1992) was a self-taught maestro of Kathakali percussion who excelled in the art of chenda playing by redefining its aesthetics as an audio accompaniment for the classical dance-drama from Kerala in south India.
B. Sasikumar was an Indian Carnatic music violinist, musician, teacher, composer and writer from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
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.
Thanu Krishna Murthy, better known as T. K. Murthy, is an Indian mridangam player. Murthy is a Padma Shri and Sangeetha Kalanidhi awardee.
Mavelikkara Krishnankutty Nair was a Carnatic Mridangam player. He received his training from Alleppey Venkappan Pillai and Veechur Krishna Iyer. He considered Palani Subramaniam Pillai as his 'Manasa Guru'. He received the Padma Shri from the President of India. He received the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award in 1971 and the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship in 1980. Krishnankutty Nair was also an artiste for All India Radio in Trivandrum.
Thrissur C. Rajendran is a carnatic violinist from Kerala, India. His domain is enriching the raga bhava through musical embellishment. He is known for his non-domineering responses to the challenges posed by the artists he accompanies. He has composed classical items in addition to lyrics for light music.
K. S. Narayanaswamy, was a Carnatic veena exponent of the Thanjavur style, in which nuances and subtleties are given more importance over rhythm based acrobatics. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1979.
Thiruvizha Jayashankar is an Indian classical musician and a well known Nadaswaram expert in South India.
C. M. Pappukutty Bhagavathar was an Indian singer and actor in Malayalam cinema.
The Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship is an honour presented by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, an autonomous organisation for the encouragement, preservation, and documentation of the performing arts of Kerala, set up by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the Government of Kerala. Instituted in 1972, the fellowships are given to outstanding artistes who have contributed to the performing arts in the state. The awardees are decided after a general body meeting conducted by the Akademi panel members and are presented by the Governor of Kerala.
V.V.Subrahmanyam, commonly known as VVS, is an Indian violist, composer, and academic. Regarded as one of the best violinist in carnatic music.
Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award is an award given by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, an autonomous organisation for the encouragement, preservation, and documentation of the performing arts of Kerala, set up by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the Government of Kerala. Instituted in 1962, the awards are given in the categories of music, dance, theatre, other traditional arts, and for contribution/scholarship in performing arts. The award consists of Rs. 30,000, a citation and a plaque. The recipients of the award are also conferred the title Kalasree.
