Sanjay Subrahmanyan

Indian vocalist Sanjay Subrahmanyan can be partially credited with the late-'80s resurgence of the popularity of the South Indian classical vocal music called carnatic, due in part to his great knowledge of the tradition and his impressive voice. His musical training, which he began at seven, was initially in violin, during which he was also introduced to the foundations of carnatic music. However, after an accident impaired his ability to play the violin, he moved to singing at age 14, taking lessons for seven years from his great aunt, Smt. Rukmini Rajagopalan, an important Indian voice teacher. Though Subrahmanyan performed around the globe, introducing much of the world to carnatic music (2000's Kutcheri Live in the USA or 2004's December Season 2001, recorded in India, both capture the power of his live shows), he also continued his work as an accountant in his home country the entire time. In 2003 he released Tillai: Compositions of Gopalakrishna Bharat, followed by Tunga Tarange...On the Banks Of in 2004. ~ Marisa Brown