Strings of Gold

Ramana Balachandhran is a veena player in the Carnatic tradition. The son of Carnatic music practitioners Balachandhran and Sharanya, his talent for music was evident at an early age, when he could identify ragas and discern subtle nuances. Considered a prodigious talent, Ramana was directly awarded an A grade by All India Radio (AIR, the only grading authority in India) after auditioning at 16—a rare honour in AIR's history of over 75 years. Madras Music Academy, the iconic and venerated music institution in Chennai waived age requirements to invite him to be part of its annual concert series when he was 16.

A much sought-after mridangam artist from India, Patri Satish Kumar grew up in a family of musicians. He was initiated into the art of percussion by his mother, Padmavathy, a renowned violinist, and had his debut at the tender age of seven. A fine performer and composer, with a deep interest in innovating and exploring the art form, his specialisation is his precise fingering technique and the fine balance of sounds between the treble and bass heads of the mridangam. Trained by Gurus Sree Ramachandramurthy, V.A. Swami and V. Narasimhan, Satish Kumar continues to evolve a style that is distinctly his own.

Satish Kumar has been a regular feature in prestigious venues and festivals across India and around the world, including BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London, the Music Academy in Chennai, Saptak Festival in Ahmedabad, Theater De La Ville in Paris, Villa Cardova in Córdoba, Rashtrapathi Bhavan in New Delhi, Pablo Festival in France, Harbor Front Festival in Toronto, and the Madrid Jazz Festival, to name a few.