The three-day festival that starts tomorrow showcases veteran artistes including Padma Bhushan T.V. Gopalakrishnan
The Kerala chapter of the Chennai-based Sree Neelakantan Sivan Cultural Academy is set to host the Margazhi music festival in Kochi for the first time. The three-day event will take place at the Avanamcode Swayambhoo Saraswathy Temple, Nedumbassery from December 13 to 15, featuring an array of Carnatic music performances.
The festival will commence with an inaugural concert by Padma Bhushan and Sangita Kalanidhi T.V. Gopalakrishnan on December 13 at 5 PM. He will be accompanied by C.S. Anuroop on violin, Poovalur Sriji on mridangam, and Thrippunithura Radhakrishnan on ghatam.
On December 14, the programme will feature a vocal recital by Akshara Samskriti, Vydyanathan on violin and Aranmula Aravind on mridangam, followed by a vocal concert by Dr. Sankaran Mahadevan. He will be supported by Sunitha Harisankar on violin, Ramesh Srinivasan on mridangam, and Vishnu V. Kamath on kanjira.
The final day, December 15, will include performances by vocalist Vaikom Anil Ullala, with Suresh Namboothiri on violin and K.S. Sudhaman on mridangam. The day will conclude with a violin duo by Viji Krishnan and Sriram Krishnan, accompanied by K.M.S. Mani on mridangam and Vaikom R. Gopalakrishnan on ghatam.
The festival will be inaugurated by M.S. Murali, Principal of Kalady Adi Shankara College, on December 13 at 4:45 PM.
The Kerala chapter of the Neelakantan Sivan Cultural Academy was established in June this year and has been organising monthly concerts since its inception. The Margazhi festival has been a hallmark of the academy’s activities in Chennai for the past 20 years, showcasing stalwarts like T.V. Sankaranarayanan, R.K. Srikantan, T.M. Krishna, P. Unnikrishnan, and violinists T.N. Krishnan, Lalgudi G.J.R. Krishnan, and Vijayalakshmi.
“The concerts in both Chennai and Kerala are not ticketed. Our goal is to promote South Indian classical music and bring esteemed artists to Avanamcode in the coming years,” said C.S. Sajeev, musician and secretary of the academy.
