Usha Rajagopalan & Meera Sivaramakrishnan

Usha Rajagopalan and Meera Sivaramakrishnan belong to different schools of learning. Both have accompanied all top grade musicians and have established a name for themselves in their own styles. Their duet marks the beginning of a new era in the field of carnatic music.

USHA RAJAGOPALAN

• Mark my words, young Usha will in the near future join the galaxy of great maestros. These were the words echoed by Sri Subbudu as he watched Usha perform. Coming from a critic like Subbudu is no flash in the pan.
• Born in Madras, Usha started learning the violin at the age of seven. She underwent rigorous training from Sri Ananthagopalan and Smt. Padmavathy Ananthagopalan. She also received valuable guidance from the Violin Maestro Sri Lalgudi G Jayaraman and Smt. Brahmanandam.
• At the age of 13 Usha joined the Ananthagopalans in Singapore where they were on a teaching assignment. It was here that she received a firm foundation as a violin accompanist and the opportunity to accompany senior and well known musicians to concerts.
• Her real break came with the Bombay Sister Smts. C. Saroja and C. Lalitha. Recognizing talent in Usha, they groomed her for concerts and this formed the backbone of her recitals. Since then Usha has authored solo performances and accompanied many leading musicians.
• Usha has travelled extensively and performed in countries like the United States, Canada, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.
• A commerce graduate from the Madras University, Usha is an ‘A’ grade artist and is currently employed with the All India Radio, Madras as a Staff Artist.

MEERA SIVARAMAKRISHNAN

• Meera Sivaramakrishnan is one of the front ranking popular young violinists. She was initiated into the art by her mother ‘Kalaimamani’ Smt. Radha Narayanan, a well known senior violinist. Later, Meera had training from Prof. T.N. Krishnan under the Government of India Cultural scholarship to young talented artists from 1984 to 1986. Meera began playing in concerts from the age of 9 and soon developed the capacity to adapt herself to the style of any vocalist/instrumentalist in violin accompaniment. Meera had the occasion to accompany on violin top ranking artists like Flutist Mali, Dr. Ramani, Sikkil Sisters, Vocalists like Dr. Balamurali Krishna, D.K. Jayaraman, Dr. MLV, T.V. Gopalakrishnan, Mandolin Srinivas, Bombay Sisters, Dr. Mani Krishnaswamy, TRS, Ravikiran, Somu, OST and many other vidwans like Neyveli Santhanagopalan, Sudha Raghunathan etc.
• In October 1985 Meera broke the world record by giving a non-stop 26 hours solo violin recital at Madras. She has also been the recepient of many awards from prestigious institutions like the Music Academy and Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Madras. The Managing Committee of Bhaktha Mandal (Regd) of Sri Rathnagiriswarar Temple, Besant Nagar, Madras awarded the title ‘Nanisai Vallabhi’ to Meera on 4^th September and 1987 and made her its ‘Asthana Vidushi’.
• Meera is a good vocalist too, a discipline of her mother Kalaimamani Smt. Radha Narayanan. Had training from Sangeetha Kalanidhi Late Shri D.K. Jayaraman and Sangeetha Kalanidhi Shri T.M. Tyagarajan.
• Meera represented India in the ‘Festival of India at Russia’ in 1988 and also in the ‘Festival of India’ in Germany in 1991.
• Meera has been awarded the prestigious National Award ‘Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award – 1995’ for outstanding contributions in the field of carnatic classical music.
• A science graduate of the Madras University, Meera is an ‘A’ Grade artist and is currently employed with the All India Radio, Madras as a staff artist.