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JAYASHRI RAMNATH

Born into a family of musicians with rich lineage and steeped in pedigree music, Bombay Jayashri Ramnath represents the fourth generation of music practitioners in her family. Jayashri has been groomed under the guidance of the legend Shri Lalgudi G Jayaraman and Smt T R Balamani. Jayashri, today not only bears the torch of the Lalgudi tradition, but has also evolved a distinct style of her own.

With a career extending over two decades, Jayashri is today among the most sought after Carnatic musicians. The myriad aficionados, spanning generations, that throng her concerts would bear ample testimony to this.

Her work has won her the acclaim of prestigious institutions in the form of prestigious awards such as the Sangeetha Choodamani and Nadabhooshanam.

Jayashri’s repertoire of meditative music and rare poetry are best experienced through her compositions in her albums. She has also composed music for dance ballets and documentaries. In this manner, Jayashri has deployed the essence of the classical idiom most effectively in her search for avenues beyond the concert format. More recently she has harnessed her skills towards composing music as a powerful catalyst in promoting our rich legacy in literature and other art forms which opens up new vistas for exploring her creative instincts. Her recent composition for the operatic ballet based on the Tamil Epic - 'Silapadhikaaram' is an example of this.

In her voyage as a cultural ambassador of India’ s rich heritage, Jayashri has performed extensively in India and abroad in the most prestigious fora, drawing critical acclaim wherever she performed. Jayashri has the rare privilege of being the first Carnatic classical performer in the Opera House in Durban and the Russian Opera House in Helsinki, Finland. To say that her music is global would indeed be a truism. Her training in Hindustani Classical system has further helped her in this musical odyssey. Her researches into music are unending, and besides her musical performances, she continues to deliver workshops all over the world on the subject of World Music. Her contribution and involvement with schools where she has conducted workshops and interactive sessions to kindle interest amongst school children into our rich tradition of music is her way of giving back something of what she has gained. Her very limited foray into film music has won her the Flimfare award for the popular 'Vaseegara' that has drawn a new class of listeners into the world of classical music.

Jayashri represents the model emerging new generation musician India is proud of. A skillful blend of uncompromising adherence to the core tradition of classical carnatic music as well as a ceaseless quest for quality music in any form would best personify Jayashri.