Kiranavali Vidyasankar

Kiranavali comes from a lineage of well-respected Carnatic musicians that includes her legendary grandfather, Gotuvadyam Narayana Iyengar. Her father, N. Narasimhan, a musician of great merit, saw Kiranavali's potential even as a toddler and trained her in the intricacies of music. By age 2, she was hailed as a child prodigy, being able to identify over 200 ragas, demonstrate the 175 talas and answer numerous other technical questions pertaining to Carnatic music. Over the years, Kiranavali trained intensely both under her father and her brother, Chitravina Ravikiran, and has emerged as a solid musician.

She has been making public appearances as a vocalist since the age of five, initially in tandem with her brother, K. N. Shashikiran, and later as a soloist. She has won the hearts of the knowledgeable and laymen alike. In her quest for excellence, Kiranavali pursued advanced vocal music training under the late T. Brinda, the torchbearer of one of the most sought-after styles and the highest authority on the works of many a great composer. Under her guidance, Kiranavali has matured into a sensitive musician with a deep commitment to highly refined musical values.

In addition to her deep involvement with vocal music, Kiranavali plays the Chitravina, true to her family tradition. She has presented several solo concerts, and has teamed up with Ravikiran as well. In fact, she is the first artiste to be graded in both vocal and the Chitravina by the national radio and television networks of India. Her music is regularly featured in their broadcasts.

Kiranavali’s music reflects a unique blend of strong traditional values and an analytical approach. She has been featured by many leading organisations in India and the US, such as The Music Academy, Krishna Gana Sabha, Narada Gana Sabha, Shanmukhananda Fine Arts, National Centre for the Performing Arts (Mumbai), Cleveland Tyagaraja Committee and so on. Many of these concerts have earned her awards for best performances. Special mention must be made of her role as the lead female vocalist in the operatic ballet Lakshmi Prabhavam, which premiered in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1997, and was eventually presented in more than 20 major cities. Kiranavali not only earned great acclaim for herself, but was talked of as one of the biggest attractions of the show itself. In the fall of 2003, Kiranavali successfully completed another concert tour of the USA and Canada with top-notch accompaniments and performed at over 18 venues. She has lent her voice for several recordings and music-based serials too.

Her teaching experience of over 15 years has made Kiranavali a much sought-after teacher. In addition to having trained many students in India, she has served as an advanced-level teacher at well-known institutions like Shanmukhananda Fine Arts (Mumbai, India). She currently teaches a number of students in San Diego, Buffalo, New Jersey and other cities.

Her accomplishments extend to another sphere of music too, namely, writing. Under her editorship, www.carnatica.com emerged as one of the top-notch websites in Carnatic music, and won the Britannica Award for Excellence. She recently edited a book titled Ragas at a Glance. She has also written articles for several newspapers, websites and magazines over the years, and is now a regular contributor to The Hindu, one of the leading dailies in India.

Kiranavali's artistic talents include painting, designing websites and so on, for which she has bagged prizes at the international level. Her academic records are equally impressive and include ranks at the school, regional and national levels. She holds a degree in commerce but Carnatic music remains her passion and her chosen career.

Some press quotes...

Child Prodigy:

• "... Astounding in her precocity ..." Indian Express, June 14, 1975

• "... More fantastic is the manner in which 3-year old Kiranavali is able to tell the Raga even at the commencement of its outline." The Hindu, June 1976

Vocalist:

• “… Kiranavali Vidyasankar in her segment provided a demonstration on the depth of the Carnatic music and her own knowledge of it in a truly astounding Ragam Tanam and Shataragamalika (100-raga) Pallavi. It was a connoisseurs delight to try identify the ragas as they switched every few seconds. Her performance had intense concentration, dexterity and precision. The violinist had his work cut out for him having to maneuver through the complicated path taken by the vocalist on the dizzying ride.” The India Journal, USA, February 2004

• "... Young Kiranavali has a wonderful voice, a touch of huskiness to lend it distinction and depth, and a malleable timbre. It revels in ragabhava and brings off the gamakas with an ease which does not ignore their luminescence." Gowri Ramnarayan in Frontline Magazine, February 6, 1998

• "... Special mention is to be made of Shashikiran and Kiranavali for their excellent vocals in (the operatic ballet) Lakshmi Prabhavam; especially Kiranavali's ringing voice with clear pronunciation added a charm to the orchestral group." Nandini Ramani in The Hindu, December 19, 1997

• "... Her concert revealed the depth of her knowledge and her indefatigable efforts towards perfection. Her musical maturity at such a young age fills one with a sense of awe ..." Dinatanti, December 9, 1997

• "... Kiranavali took efforts to reveal the subtle aspects of music in an effective way... she featured some rare classic pieces ..." Indian Express, September 22, 1996

• "... The vocal recital of Kiranavali featured by Bharat Kalachar was an impressive demonstration of the strength of her training in classical music ..." The Hindu, October 13, 1995

• "... The vocal duo of 15-year old Shashikiran and 12-year old Kiranavali gave real meaning to the 'super talent' claim of the campaigners, by stealing the hearts of listeners including the conservative ones aflame with the traditional vitality and passion of their performance... Kiranavali looked charmingly innocent but sang a spectacular akaara passage in the course of her forays into Shanmukhapriya and won both affection and applause ..." NMN in The Hindu, June 1986

Chitravina artiste:

• "... A painter-musician, the tone-colour, the depth and dimension, shades and sparkles come so natural to Kiranavali. The gayaki style was predominant throughout. One perceived her playing for self-enjoyment, self-fulfilment ..." Shanmukha, October 1995 (Winter Edition)

• "... Kiranavali stole the hearts of rasikas with her faultless rendering of kritis. The blend of tradition and laya in her kritis and swaras, and the sparkle in her raga alapanas played with elegance and artistry mark her out as an artiste who has a great future ..." K S Mahadevan in Indian Express, October 22, 1995

• "... Kiranavali had a great responsibility in preserving the reputation of the family, and she acquitted herself well announcing through her presentation the heritage of music she is heir to ... " SVK in The Hindu, October 27, 1995

• "…In their concert at the Music Academy, Kiranavali who provided Chitravina accompaniment to Ravikiran proclaimed her competence ... there was nobility in every one of her phrasings in alapana, neraval and swaras ..." SVK in The Hindu, January 6, 1995.