| T. M. Krishna | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Also known as | TMK |
| Born | January 22, 1976 Chennai, India |
| Genres | Indian classical music |
| Occupations | Carnatic Vocalist |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Website | http://www.tmkrishna.com |
T.M. Krishna (Thodur Madabusi Krishna, born 1976) is a Carnatic music vocalist. Hailing from a family of music connoisseurs, he was exposed to the south Indian classical music at an early age. His first concert was at the Spirit of Youth series organized by the Music Academy, Chennai (India). Since then, he has travelled widely in India and abroad and won applause from his listeners. He has received numerous awards and titles from many leading organizations, notable amongst which are the Young Achievers Award by India Today and the Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar Award by the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi. He has released many music albums from leading audio companies like Magna sound, HMV, Inreco, Amudham (USA) and Charsur.
T.M. Krishna was born in Chennai on January 22, 1976. His father was a businessman in the automobile industry and his mother has been running a music school, Kalapeetam, in Chennai.
Krishna's mother used to learn from his guru (teacher) B. Seetharama Sharma when he was four years old. Sharma noticed Krishna's interest in music, and started teaching him at the age of six.
His schooling in KFI, an institution managed by the J. Krishnamurthy trust, influenced his perceptions and outlook towards life, something which the musician has himself revealed numerous times. He went on to receive his B.A. degree in economics from Vivekananda College, Madras. He married Sangeetha Sivakumar, a Carnatic musician herself, on November 7, 1997, and has two daughters, Arya and Anantha. Together, they live in Mylapore, one of the hubs of Carnatic music in Madras.
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Krishna's mother was a carnatic music graduate and his father T.M.Rangachari was a great lover of carnatic classical music, while his grandparents too had immense interest in it.[1] His grand uncle T.T. Krishnamachari (former Indian finance minister and renowned industrialist) was one of the founders of the Madras Music Academy.[2]
After tutelage under B. Seetharama Sharma, Krishna underwent special Ragam Thanam Pallavi grooming under Chengalpet Ranganathan. He also received advanced training from the late Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer for more than seven years.
Krishna assisted his guru Sri Seetharama Sharma in many of his composing projects, including musical operas like The Ramayana (presented in The Reunion Islands in 1993), orchestra presentations and choir presentations. Krishna also toured Singapore in 2001 to compose and conduct the orchestra of the Singapore Fine Arts Society supported by a grant from the National Arts Council of Singapore.
Krishna is known for his resonant voice and strict adherence to classicism. He is widely considered to be the most prominent young male carnatic vocalist with a great depth in knowledge [3][4] His concerts are usually marked by an electrifying performance and a deeply moved audience[5]
Krishna has featured in the Carnatic Concert Movie, Margazhi Raagam along with Bombay Jayashri in 2008
He has given numerous lecture demonstrations on various facets of Carnatic music and its history at important institutions. He is presently working on audio archiving the Sangeetha Sampradaya Pradarshini, a musical treatise of very great importance and significance in relation to the compositions of Muthuswami Dikshitar.
In 1998, Krishna, along with musicians Vijay Siva and Dr Sunder, authored the first ever Carnatic music appreciation album titled "Learning to Appreciate Carnatic Music". In 2001, along with musician Bombay Jayashree and Sanjay Subrahmanyan, Krishna authored a book on Prof Sambamoorthy, an Indian musicologist of international repute, to commemorate his birth centenary.
In 2007, he co-authored and published a book with Bombay Jayashri titled "Voices Within", the first coffee-table book of its kind, on the legends of Carnatic music. Krishna contributes articles to various publications and websites regarding art, culture, and socio-political issues as well as to his own website.
Krishna is a co-founder of Jnanarnava Trust, an organisation devoted to the research, documentation and archival of the ancient traditions in Carnatic music. (www.jnanarnava.org). He initiated Kalachara Marumalarchi, an organization dedicated to the revival of cultural activities in the interior towns and villages of Tamil Nadu, India and to rejuvenate the function of the temples as cultural hubs. He is also the cofounder of Sumanasa Foundation, an organization to promote Carnatic music and musicians in and around rural areas by sponsoring upcoming musicians.