Orchestra Artistes

Mridangam - Sri G. Vijayaraghavan

Sri. G.Vijayaraghavan is a disciple of Madurai T. Srinivasan and Kumbakonam T.V.Balu. He is one of the leading percussionists in India, and has been honored by the President of India three times. Sri. G Vijayaraghavan is a familiar figure in India, having performed frequently on All India Radio and at the Sangeet Sammelan festivals. In addition, he is a lyricist and has to his credit, a published book “Nritya Ganamrudham, and has also released a CD. He has accompanied prominent Bharatanatyam dancers in venues around the world, and critics have hailed his playing as an integral, entertaining component of these events.

He has accompanied Natya Dance Theatre in its tours abroad, and in the United States every year since 1995. Amongst the many awards that he has received are the “Laya Kala Vipanchi “, given by Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, and the Sudharani Raghupathy Endowment Award for Senior Musicians from Narada Gana Sabha. Sri Vijayaraghavan received the Senior Mridangist award, Gaandharva Nipuna, from Abhai, the world-renowned Association of Bharatanatyam Artistes of India in July 2023.

Vocal - Smt. Chitrambari Krishnakumar

Smt. Chitrambari is widely recognized as one of the leading Indian vocalists at work today. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Indian Music from the University of Madras in 1992, and her Master of Arts in Indian music from the University of Madras in 1994. Smt. Chitrambari is a B High artiste in All India Radio. As a solo artist, she has accompanied dancers in various Indian styles at leading venues throughout India, and other countries over the past twenty eight years. Additionally, she has scored the music for many ballets including “Thiruppugazh”, “Soorya-The Sun God”, “Arupadai Veedu”, and “Thiruvasagam”. She was recognized with the Best Vocal Support for Dance award by Shri Krishna Gana Sabha and has been awarded for her work by VDS arts academy. In 2017, she was the recipient of the prestigious Natya Sangeetha Kala Bharathi Award from Bharat Kalachar. Smt. Chitrambari was also awarded the Gana Kala Vipanchi in 2022.

Violin - Shri Kalaiarasan Ramanathan

Shri Kalaiarasan is one of the most popular and sought after violin Artists in the field of Bharatanatyam music. He is a disciple of Smt. Dhanadevi Mithradeva, and graduated with Honors, from Annamalai University, in Chidambaram, India, with the title of “Sangeetha Bhushanam”. He hails from a family of musicians, and is the son of the distinguished Vidwan, “Sangeetha Bhushanam”, Professor Thiru A.S Ramanathan, a retiree of Annaamalai University.

He has over 25 years of Carnatic Music experience , and has accompanied Bharatanatyam artistes, performing both in India, and other countries abroad. He has also participated in several music and dance DVD productions, for companies like “E-Parampara Infotainment”, and “Swaathi Soft Solutions”. He has received the “Best Supporting Violin Artist Award for Dance” , from Shri Krishna Gaana Sabha, and the “Best Accompanying Artist Award for Dance” from V.D.S Arts Academy. Shri Kalaiarasan was also awarded, the prestigious “Sudhaaraani Raghupathy Endowment Award” for Senior Musicians, from “Natyarangam”, the dance wing of Naarada Gana Sabha, Chennai.

Flute - Shri J.B. Sruthi Sagar

Shri J.B. Sruthi Sagar is an accomplished flautist in the field of Carnatic music. He received his initial training in flute from Shri. Balasai. He later pursued music under the tutelage of Dr. Sunder (since '99). Learning from a vocalist enabled him to employ the gayaka style in playing the instrument. Sagar is known for his strict adherence to tradition and has carved a niche for himself in the field. He has often been compared to the yesteryear maestro Shri. T.R. Mahalingam (Mali). He has been performing in major sabhas and festivals across the country. Among several awards that have come his way are the prestigious Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar (2019) from the Sangeeth Natak Academy, Yagnaraman award of excellence (2016) from Krishna Gana Sabha, Kalki Krishnamurthy memorial award (2015), MS Subbulakshmi fellowship (2014) from Shanmukhananda Fine Arts, Mumbai. He is an A grade artist of the AIR. Besides a Masters in music, he holds a bachelors in mechanical engineering.

Nattuvangam - Shri Vijay Kumar S.

Sri Vijay Kumar S., born in Villupuram and raised in Chennai is a disciple of Smt. Sujatha Parameswaran. He has been training with her for 26 years now. With a primary focus on amalgamation of musicality both in singing and understanding, he has been trained by Sri Nanganallur Nagendra Rao in Mridangam and later continued to learn Mridangam from Padma Shri awardee Sri. Vikku Vinayakram. Vijay is a recipient of Tamil Isai Mandram scholarship to young artists, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, CCRT scholarship and the winner of the Margam competition by ABHAI, Chennai, 2019.Vijay is a Young India Fellow, and is currently a PhD candidate in Organizational Behavior at Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode. Vijay has composed and music for many dancers; to name a few, Dr.Janaki Rangarajan for her Music Academy concert and recently composed for Mavin Khoo for his margam this season. He has also been supporting many other young artists on the nattuvangam. Vijay has conducted workshops in Chennai, Bangalore, Mysore and Pune. Vijay currently teaches dance in Mysore for his 3 students and is trying to balance his dance journey, composing music and jathis and his teaching.