Ranjani and Gayatri (India) are among the most highly acclaimed South Indian Carnatic vocalists in the world. Known for concerts that thrill both lay audiences and connoisseurs, the two sisters have been featured on numerous recordings, television, radio, concerts, lectures, and international festivals. They are accompanied by Vittala Rangan (violin), K. Sai Giridhar (mridangam), and Krishna Sriram (ghatam).

The event is free and open to the public.

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Program

Traditional Carnatic concert or kutcheri, the elements of which will be explained to the audience during the performance.

Bios

Sister duo Ranjani and Gayatri Balasubramanian are world-renowned performers of South Indian classical Carnatic music. They have performed in prestigious venues and festivals, including the Kennedy Centre in Washington, D.C., Southbank Centre in London, Ravenna Music Festival in Italy, Cross Culture Festival in Warsaw, Poland, Bengal Music Festival in Dhaka, and Esplanade Theatre in Singapore, to name a few. In addition to performances in India and around the globe, they regularly release studio recordings, appear on television and radio, give lecture-demonstrations, and work as composers, educators, and ambassadors of Indian classical music. 

They started their joint career as a violin duo, having studied the instrument under the tutelage of Sri T. S. Krishnaswami Iyer, and learned singing from Sri PS Narayanaswamy. Their parents, Sri N. Balasubramanian and Shrimati Meenakshi, have also guided them throughout their musical journey. 

Ranjani and Gayatri’s concerts take the listener into a world of color, beauty, and transcendental bliss. Their performances are a testament to the conservation of an ancient tradition through innovation, imagination, and originality, which has inspired many musicians to follow their style.

Vittala Rangan, violin

Vittal Rangan started learning the violin at age 8, initially from the late Sri R. R. Keshavamurthy, and later from the Sangeetha Kalanidhi-laureate A. Kanyakumari. An All India Radio Grade A violinist and recipient of the Shanmukhananda Bharat Ratna Dr. M. S. Subbulakshmi Fellowship, as well as the CCRT Scholarship, Vittal Rangan has appeared in concerts in New Zealand, Malaysia, Dubai, Germany, Brussels, France, Switzerland, and elsewhere in Asia and Europe.

K. Sai Giridhar, mridangam

Sri K. Sai Giridhar is an All India Radio Grade A artist specializing in the mridangam (the double-headed South Indian drum), and a disciple of the legendary gurus Sri M. L. N. Raju and Parupalli S. Phalgun. A recipient of the prestigious Yuva Puraskar award from the Sangeetha Nataka Academy, Sai Giridhar has been a part of various jugalbandhis (crossover performances of North and South Indian classical music) as well as other fusion bands with renowned musicians, and has appeared on several CD and DVD recordings. He has travelled extensively both within India and abroad, performing at numerous prestigious venues alongside distinguished artists.

Krishna Sriram, ghatam

Trained the legendary ghatam guru V. Suresh, and guided by doyens such as T. H. Vinayakaram, Krishna—known by colleagues and audiences as “Ghatam Krishna”—has been playing alongside mridangists of various styles, accompanying both vocal and instrumental music. In his fifteen-year performance career, his ghatam (clay pot drum) has taken him to prestigious concert venues across India, as well as to the United States, Australia, Europe, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and elsewhere.