The Music Academy - Sadas 2023

The 'sadas' or the award function of The Music Academy for the year 2023 will be held on Jan 1, 2023 at its auditorium on TTK Road, Chennai 14

The event begins at 3.45 pm with Mangala Isai by Segal Brothers SGN Pichaiyappa and SGN Ganesan (Nadaswaram), Idumbavanam K.S. Kannan and Idumbavanam KSK Manikandan (Tavil)

N. Chandrasekaran, chairman, TATA Sons P Ltd will preside over the function at 5 pm. The 'Sangita Kalanidhi', 'Sangita Kala Acharya' , TTK Award, Musicologist award and the prizes for the concerts/artistes for the season 2022 will be awarded.

The function will be followed by a violin duet recital by M. Chandrasekharan & G. Bharathi at 7 pm.

Meet the musicians - Dec. 21 to 31, 2022

Here is an opportunity to meet a few musicians and participate in conversation with them.

Organised by Carnatica & Sangeetha Hotel

Venue: Sangeetha Veg Restaurant - Adyar, No: 7, Gandhi Nagar 1st Main Road, Gandhi Nagar, Adyar, Chennai 600020 

Click on the image to view bigger picture

December Music Season 2020 - a mix of virtual and open-air venue concerts

Every year, just around Navaratri, many sabhas begin publishing the schedule of December concerts. We, at chennidecemberseason.com keep a tab on every organiser and their announcement of concert schedules. 

But it is different this year.

Music concerts in halls, auditoriums and even the private concerts are cancelled. However, many have taken the concerts to online platforms like YouTube and Facebook Live. 

Artistes and rasikas were hoping for the situation to get better until many organisations declared that the December Season concerts would be mostly digital. During late August, The Music Academy, Madras also announced its concert schedule for December as 'Digital' concerts.

In late September, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, which starts the annual music concerts in November every year, announced that the concerts will be held in the school campus managed by Bhavan in Kilpauk. 

Welcome December Season 2020! After all, music in any form enthrals the resikas.  

See you all in Season 2019

It was a tightly packed 'season' from November till the end of December 2018. However, music and music festivals are not just limited to any 'Music season' in Chennai. What follows is a dance festival in January and Nadaswaram music festival from mid-Jan.
February - March is Sivaratri music festivals followed by concerts after Panguni Brahmotsavam in the famed Sri Kapaleeswarar temple in Mylapore. And in April, Sri Ramanavami and Tamil New Year concerts will be conducted. Before it is Aadi music festivals, there are monthly concerts in sabhas and then the season catches up again from September onwards.

Come again here to see more coverage of music and festivals by September October. Till then, there are a few other websites that publish information about concerts throughout the year.

You could plan your visit to Chennai by following the calendar on Nadalokam and enjoy the music in various towns and cities in Chennai.

See you all again in yet another music season in 2019!

It's September Season in Coimbatore

It is not uncommon for people in Chennai and other towns in Tamil Nadu to visit places where a Carnatic music event or series is held, especially in the months January, September or October. These are months with long weekends and more holidays.
Rajalakshmi Fine Arts, Coimbatore hosts a September season every year. The schedule of the festival includes music, dance and drama, that attracts people with varied interests. This year the series is held from Sep. 2 to 11, 2016.

Venue : Sarojini Nataraj Auditorium (Kikani High School),Coimbatore

The schedule of program:

Sep. 2, 2016 - Friday
6.00pm THYAGARAJA- ISAI NATAKAM by TV.Varadarajan
Music By Smt.Bombay Jayashri

Sep. 3, 2016 - Saturday
5.00 pm Smt.Poornima koushik - Bharathanatyam
7.30 pm Leela Samson with Spanda Dance company - Bharathanatyam

Sep. 4, 2016 - Sunday
5.00 pm Shri.Christopher Gurusamy - Bharathanatyam
7.00pm Aditi Mangaldas Dance Company - Kathak

Sep. 5, 2016 - Monday
6/00 pm Shri.Neyveli Santhana gopalan- Vocal

Sep. 6, 2016 - Tuesday
6.00 pm Smt.Sankari Krishnan-Vocal
Theme – “Shakthi”

Sep. 7, 2016 - Wednesday
6.00 pm Sri.Ramakrishnan Murthy-Vocal

Sep. 8, 2016 - Thursday
6.00 pm Kalaimamani Dr.M.Lalitha & M.Nandini-Violin Duet

Sep. 9, 2016 - Friday
6.00 pm Sri.T.M.Krishna-Vocal

Sep. 10, 2016 - Saturday
4.30 pm Sri.Ashwath Narayanan-Vocal
6.30 pm Smt.Aruna Sairam-Vocal

Sep. 11, 2016 - Sunday
9.00am Smt.Bombay Jayashri-Vocal
4.30pm Sri.Jayanth-Flute
6.30pm Sri.Sanjay Subrahmanyan-Vocal

Thiruvaiyaru Thyagaraja Aradhana on Jan. 28, 2016

The 169th aradhana of sadguru Sri Thyagaraja at Thiruvaiyaru will begin on Jan 24, 2016.
The pancharatna keerthana singing is on Jan. 28, 2016 at 9 a.m. and will go on for an hour.

Samadhi of sadguru Thyagaraja, Thiruvaiyaru

Artistes from various places in India and abroad will pay musical tribute at Sri Thyagaraja's samadhi on the banks of River Cauvery on all the five days from Jan. 24.
List of short and main concerts will be published on the official website of Sri Thyagaraja Aradhana Festival in due course. Visit: http://thiruvaiyaruthyagarajaaradhana.org/ 

Special thematic concerts at Madhuradhwani

A special thematic concerts are hosted by Madhuradhwani on Dec. 21 and 22 at Arkay Convention Centre, RH Road, Mylapore.

Here are the details:

Dec. 21, 2013 - Saturday
9.30 am - 11.00 am : Lalitha Ravi - dance music forms. H V Raghuram - Violin, Surya Subramaniam - Mridangam"

11.00 am - 12 30 pm : Savita Sriram - Music & Spirituality. Karaikal Venkata Subramnaiam - Violin, M S Venkarsubramanian - Mridangam

2.00 pm - 3.30 pm : Kruthi Bhatt (Lalgudi Jayaramn's Compostion). Kamalakiran - Violin, Sriram Natarajan - Mridangam, Balaji Chandran - Ghatam

3.30 pm - 5.00 pm : Tiruvarur Girish - Dhanammal bani. Vittal Ramamurthy - Violin, Poovalur Sriji - Mridangam

5.00 pm - 7.00pm : Kiranavali Vidyasankar - Traditional tukkadas. Anuradha Sridhar - Violin, Sai Giridhar - Mridangam, Akshay Ananthapadmanabhan

7.00 pm - 9.00 pm : Suguna Varadachari - Tribute to Saint Tyagaraja by other composers.

Dec. 22, 2013 - Sunday

9.30 am - 11.00 am : Uday Shankar - lec dem on slide-flute instrument - Chitravenu

11.00 am - 12 30 pm : Shankaran Mahadevan - T R S Bani. S P Anantha Padmanabha - Violin, Ram Sriram - Mirdangam

2.00 pm - 3.30 pm : Vishal Sapuram- Rakthi Ragas. Akkarai Swarnalatha - Violin, Surya Ravi Ganesh - Mridangam

3.30 pm - 5.00 pm - Bhargavi Balasubramanian - OVK compositions. Akkarai Swarnalatha - Violin, R Sankaranarayanan - Mirdangam

5.00 pm - 7.00pm: V K Manimaran - Gopalakrishna Bharathi. Shertalai Shivakumar - Violin, H S Sudeendra - Mridangam

7.00 pm - 9.00 pm : Neela Ramgopal - Shastris of Music. Ranjani Ramakrishnan - Violin, Ramesh Srinivasan - Mridangam

All concerts will be live on web link
http://www.arkayconventioncenter.in/videos.aspx

Season Tickets Sold out at The Music Academy and Narada Gana Sabha

In The HIndu's special supplement  - Curtain raiser to the Chennai Festival, that came out on Dec. 1, as usual,  it was mentioned that the Season Tickets sales at the Music Academy will commence at the venue on Dec. 2 at 9 a.m. It was an open call to all those who wish to be at one place and listen to the best of the 'season'.

The regular concert goers in Chennai city picked up this small print below the schedule of The Music Academy in the Hindu's last page lined up at the Academy from 6 a.m. onwards. They were given tokens and made to sit in the lobby and the season tickets were issued. Around 300 people were present early in the morning.

Now, another favourite venue for concerts, Narada Gana Sabha has put up a typewritten notice on one of its pillar in the lobby - 'Season Tickets are sold out and no enquiries please!'

Season is picking up in Chennai. After Bhavan's festival, Bharat Kalachar and Kartik Fine Arts opened on Dec. 1. Brahma Gana Sabha has kept its date for Dec. 3 and the concerts are on from today. Chennai Cultural Academy (earlier known as Nungambakkam Cultural Academy and Mudhra will begin on Dec. 6.

The rasikas have a lot in the plates before them for December.

Documentary Film Festival - Dec. 1 to 8, 2013

Panuval Book Stores in Tiruvanmiyur has come up with a different idea to celebrate the 'season'. Screening of documentary films on musicians & dancers.
There are a couple of films on artistes produced and are available on sale. They are rarely screened for the public. The book store has gathered these films and screening them for a week. Daily at 5.30 p.m.

Venue: Panuval Book Store, 112, Tiruvalluvar Salai (Upstairs:Viswadhara Silks), Tiruvanmiyur, Chennai - 41. Phone: 4310 0442, 9382853646

Dec. 1, 2013
Hamsa Geete (film)

Dec. 2, 2013
Ayaradha Saadhanai on A.K.C. Natarajan

Dec. 3, 2013
Carnatic Musician of the Era on Manakkal S. Rangarajan

Dec. 4, 2013
Bala on Balasaraswati

Dec. 5, 2013
Siddheswari on Siddheswari Devi

Dec. 6, 2013
Isai Vaseekaran on G.N. Balasubramaniam

Dec. 7, 2013
Arar Asaippadar on Sanjay Subramaniam

Dec. 8, 2013
Sakala Kala Acharyar S Rajam

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's festival is on!

The renovated auditorium of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan posed a festive look on the opening day of their festival.
Bhavan's festival actually ushers in the 'season' in Chennai. Once BVB's festival is over, the auditorium is rented to other organisations like Kartik Fine Arts later in December. Though on Day One of the festival the auditorium was partially renovated and a couple of small and big work-in-progress could be seen, the festival kicked off with huge audience in the inaugural concert by Sudha Ragunathan.

Indian Fine Arts Society awards 2013

The Indian Fine Arts Society confers the Kalasikhamani awards on exponents in music & dance every year.

This year, saxophone vidwan Kadri Gopalnath will reciev the title Sangeetha Kalasikhamani. Senior Bharatanatyam dancer Alarmel Valli will be conferred the title Natya Kalasikhamani.

The awards will be presented on the inaugural day of the December music festival on Dec. 18, 2013.

Prof. T V Gopalakrishnan, Prof. Mysore Subramanya and Guruvayur Dorai, Aruna Sairam and M Varadarajan will participate in the function.

'December Season' from November!

The traditional December Season has become bigger and longer over the years. The season does not extend beyond January, but begins early.
For the past few years, The Hindu, a leading newspaper of south India has been hosting the November Fest. Initially organised in Chennai, now the fest goes to other cities like Coimbatore, Bangalore, Kochi and Hyderabad. This fest includes other genres of music too.
Carnatica, another organisation hosts Bharat Sangeet Utsav in November. This series also includes Hindustani and other classical combinations of jugalbandhis.
The schedule of these fests will also be put up on this website soon. Do come back and enjoy the music.