Honorable Chief Guest
Kalaimamani Madurai Shri. R. Muralidaran
Kalaimamani Madurai Shri. R. Muralidharan is an acclaimed dance guru, composer, dancer, choreographer, lyricist, playwright, and director. He is best known for his large body of modern compositions for Bharathanatyam dancers and his many elaborate theory and rhythms while remaining accessible and appealing to a modern lay audience.
Shri. Muralidaran has received numerous accolades, most notably the Kalaimamani award from the Tamil Nadu state government. I addition, Shri Muralidharan has been conferred with the title of Kala Seva Bharathi from Bharat Kalachar, Kartik Award of Excellence from Karthik Fine Arts, Parambara Noothana from Pothy’s Parambara, Ganakala Tapaswini, Mayur Nritya Sagaram, and Paartha award from Lasya to name a few. In addition to these, Shri. Muralidharan holds three Guinness World Records and several Asia and India Book of Records to his credit.
Choreography and Nattuvangam
Smt. Rajalakshmi Krishna
Mrs. Rajalakshmi Krishna (alias Ms. Raji) has been a Bharatanatyam dance: performing artist/ practitioner, teacher, choreographer, and ardent evangelist. She has commendable contributions and service for the past 25 years in performing, teaching, and advisory to cultural / art groups of leading schools in India and the United States.
Vocal
Smt. Asha Ramesh
Asha Ramesh is a performer, a composer and a guru. Asha was trained under Sangeetha Kalanidhi D. K. Jayaraman and later under Nanganallur V. Ramanadhan. A Gold Medalist in the Bachelor’s and Master’s programs in Music from the University of Chennai, Ashawon the prestigious Rajaji Memorial Tambura Award, instituted by Tamil Isai Sangam in Chennai. In 1987,she received the Sangeeta Kalanidhi Thiruppamburam N. Swaminatha Pillai Memorial Gold Medal based on her stellar academic performance at the University of Chennai. Asha received the title of Gana Kala Bhushani from the Sankarabaranam Trust of Chennai in 1997, the title of Gana Kala Ratnam from Sri Saraswathy Gana Nilayam in 1998 and the title of Mathura Isai Vani from Nadaraja Center for Performing Arts, USA, in 1999. She has performed in music organizations (sabhas) throughout India, on the All India Radio and on Indian Television.
Asha was a visiting professor of Carnatic Music at the University of California in Berkeley for a number of years and hasserved as a panelist for the California Arts Council. She is the artistic director of Ragamalika school of music.
Mridangam
Shri. Ethirajan Ramanujan
A software engineer by profession, Ethirajan had the initial training from Ramanathapuram Sri. M.N. Kandaswamy Pillai. Later, he had the initial and advanced training from Sri. Sivashankara Reddy (disciple of Sri. M.N.Kandaswamy Pillai). Currently, he has versatile training from Sangita Kalanidhi Sri. T.K. Murthy. He has been a regular performer in the Chennai music season and has played in many prestigious venues in India, with more than 1500 concerts to his credit.
Ethirajan has toured many cities in the US for his concerts with performances at prestigious festivals, including the Cleveland Thyagaraja festival, the festival of Nations, World Music Festival International Veena festival. He has also worked with many dance companies to provide support to Indian classical dance. He is one of the sought-after mridangist in the mid-west for many productions and arengetrams. He has also toured within the United States for many of the dance arengetrams in Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, St.Louis, Portland, and Rochester to name a few.
Violin
Shri. Suka Pavalan
Suka Pavalan is a proficient and skilled Violinist with extensive experience in several genres varying from classical to light music. He organized, coordinated and performed in various Live and TV Concerts both Nationally and Internationally and has won numerous awards and Titles for many accomplishment with more than 30 years of experience.
Flute
Vidwan Shri. A.P Krishna Prasad
Hailing from a lineage of great musicians Vidwan A.P. Krishna Prasad is one of the leading flutists in the field of Carnatic and popular music forms. Initiated into music at the tender age of 4, Krishna Prasad is trained under his father a legendary musician Karnataka Kalashree Vidwan A.V. Prakash. His skills were further nurtured by the legendary flutist Sangeetha Kalanidhi Dr. N. Ramani.