Ganapathiraman is a senior disciple of Sri.Ramesh Srinivasan, founder and director of Sarvalaghu Percussion Art Center and leading disciple of Mrudangam Maestro ‘Sangeeta Kalanidhi’ Sri Vellore G.Ramabhadran. He has been performing in various bay area programs and artists for over 10 years and is is blessed and thankful to his parents to introduce the art form at an early age.

Ganapathiraman has learned Mrudangam in his early years with vidwan Sri T.D. Balasubramanium (disciple of 'Kalaimamani' and 'Ghatam Nagamani’ Sri ‘Vikku’ Vinayakram) and with Sri Subramanium. After moving to the bay area, he is grateful to continue his Mrudangam learning with Sri.Ramesh Srinivasan.

Ganapathiraman has been performing in various Bay area programs(Thyagaraja, Annamarcharya Silicon Andhra) and Punrandaradasa ( Kannada Koota) celebrations) and TV recordings(SwaraLahari) for over 10 years and took part in the unique Taala Vaadhya ensembles ‘Laya Vinyasam' conducted by Sarvalaghu Percussion Art Center.

He had accompanied many budding vidwans and leading bay area performers and has Ganapathiraman has provided Mrudangam support for many bharatanatyam and Kuchupudi dance programs over the last 7 years including dance arangetrams, dance drama performances and individual performances.

Some of the Notable events include.

1. Accompanied leading vidwan Sri Tirumalae Srinivas and his students, during his 2013 visit to Bay Area.
2. Accompanied leading dance choreographer Dr. Tulasi Ramachandra in Bayaraea for the unique dance recital Panchatatva in April 2013.
3. Cleveland Thayagaraja Festival 2012.
4. Swaralahari TV recordings.
5. Thyagaraja, Annamarcharya Silicon Andhra) and Punrandaradasa ( Kannada Koota) celebrations.

Ganapathiraman is thankful to his Guru Sri Ramesh Srinivasan for providing the platform to impart this art form to the next generation. He is a faculty at Foster City and had been teaching budding vidwans for the last 6 years.

He is working as a Software Engineer and residing with his family in the SanFrancisco Bay area.

Varun Viswanath began his Mridangam lessons at the age of five, and for the past 10 years he has been under the tutelage of  “Layakala Ratna” Sri. Ramesh Srinivasan of Sarvalaghu Percussion Arts Center, San Jose, the leading disciple of Mridangam Maestro late Vellore Sri.G.Ramabhadran.

In January 2012 at the age of 11, Varun had his mridangam arangetram in Chennai, where he accompanied Sangeetha Choodamani Vidwan Sri. O.S.Thyagarajan, with Sri. Mullaivasal G. Chandramouli on the Violin and Sri.Trichy K.Murali on the Ghatam, presided and blessed by late Sangeetha Kalanidhi Vellore Sri. G. Ramabadhran & Sri. V. V. Sundaram and well attended by leading musicians.

Varun had the privilege of accompanying Sri. Ashok Ramani in April 2012, supporting on a double mridangam with Sri. Kalladaikuruchi Sivakumar, for the Pallavi Melakartha series  concert in the Bay Area.

Varun has performed widely in the San Francisco Bay area for various music schools, and has accompanied for youth and adult concerts at various venues, Swaralahari-television programs, youth festivals, temple events and fundraisers. Varun has performed in various Taala-Vaadya programs as part of his school productions.

Varun has also performed at various sabhas for the 2012, 2013, 2014 December Music season in Chennai, accompanying disciples of  leading musicians.

Varun was part of NAMO(North American Melharmonic orchestra) conducted by Sri.Chitravina Ravi Kiran, that debuted at 2013 Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana festival, and Papanasam Sivan Ensemble at the 2014 and 2015 Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana festival.

 

AIR-Graded artists Varun has accompanied are:

Smt. Bhargavi Balasubramanian ( Vocal concert ) in Bay Area (visiting artist)

Sri. G. Ravikiran  ( Vocal concert ) in Chennai

Sri. Tejasvi Raghunath ( Flute Concert ) in Bay Area  ( visiting artist)

Smt. Geetha Ravi ( Vocal Concert) in Bay Area

Varun played with a senior artist Trichur Sri.Narendran as part of Double Mridangam for the Palghat Dr.Ramaprasad vocal concert on June 7, 2015 in Sunnyvale, CA. Varun had the privilege of accompanying Saraswathi Srinivasan (earliest disciple of Dr. M.L. Vasanthakumari) during her recent visit to Bay Area in Oct, 2015.

Varun is passionate about Carnatic music and  listens avidly to different banis of singing/playing by various stalwarts of Carnatic music, that enables him to be a versatile mridangist. Varun is a sophomore at Saratoga High School.  He represents his school on the speech and debate team, and plays soccer and baseball for his school team.

Akshay is a student of `Laya Kala Ratna’ Sri Ramesh Srinivasan, prime disciple of Mridangam Maestro Late Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sri Vellore G. Ramabhadran. Akshay has been learning for almost 9 years and has been performing in concerts and programs for the last 5 years providing Mridangam accompaniment for Carnatic Vocal concerts, instrumental solo concerts as well as music ensembles and has had the privilege of accompanying senior artists.

Akshay had his Mridangam Arangetram on January 03, 2013 at Tattvaloka, Chennai providing Mridangam accompaniment to Chitravina Solo concert by Sangeet Samrat Sri. Chitravina N. Ravikiran, with Kum. Akkarai Subhalakshmi on Violin and Dr. Karthick on Ghatam, which was very well appreciated and critically acclaimed by many Stalwarts, Vidwans and Vidushis  who graced the occasion, including Padma Vibhushan Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna (Distinguished Guest of Honor) and former Chief Election Commissioner of India, Sri. N. Gopalaswami (Chief Guest).

In addition, for the last five years, Akshay has been learning vocal Carnatic music and he is a student of Sri Paduka Academy. He also plays Alto Saxophone in his school band.

Full length Mridangam Accompaniment for Concerts in Chennai since 2013 December Music Season:

 

• Sri Parthasarathy Sabha
• Carnatica – Global Heritage Music Festival
• Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival
• Brahma Gana Sabha
• Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha
• Bharathiya Vidhya Bhavan
• Charu-Sree Academy
• Sri Panchamuga Anjaneyar Festival
• Nada Sudha Sabha
• Hamsadhwani
• Shishyakulam
• Sivan Fine Arts Academy
• Hare Krishna Center
• Ramhji’s Isai Mazhalai
• Kapali Fine Arts
• Maarga
• Nandalala Mission
• Sruthi Arts Academy
• Layapriya

 

Full length Concerts in US – Akshay provided Mridangam Accompaniment Support for various local and visiting artists. Also supported for solo concerts conducted by SIFA, Carnatic Chamber Concerts, Lotus, Nandalala, Pranava Naadam, Vrksha and SR Fine Arts, Tri-valley music circle, others – Bay Area Music Organizations, OSAAT, Nadhanritya competitions, and Bay area music schools and Swaralahari TV recordings.

Other Performances:

Participated every year in Cleveland Aradhana Festival since 2011 and provided Mridangam accompaniment for Sustaining Sampradaya, Carnatic Symphony by Sri. Shashikiran, Papanasam Sivan Festival program by Sri. Ashok Ramani, EPIC choir program by Sri. Neyveli Santhanagopalan, Carnatic Philharmonic program by Sri. V.V.S. Murari.  Also provided Mridangam support for solo concert for Sri. Purnaprajna Bangere in 2014.

Tala Vaadhya programs & lecdem conducted by Sarvalaghu Percussion Art Center.

Detroit Margazhi Festival – Participated in Tala vadhyam and accompaniment for solo slots in Detroit Margazhi Festival in November 2015 organized by ICarnatic organization.

Indian Raaga Lab – performed in San Jose labs and provided Mridangam accompaniment for Boston and New Jersey labs.

Dance Accompaniment Programs:   Akshay also supported on Mridangam for Nardhana – School of Bharatanatyam for Salangai Pooja and Bharatanatyam arrangetram and also for Yuva Bharathi program.

Srivatsan, a junior at Cupertino High School, has been learning Mridangam under the tutelage of Sri. Ramesh Srinivasan, director of of the Sarvalaghu Percussion Art Centre. Last year, Srivatsan was privileged to perform his Mridangam Arangetram playing for his vocal guru, Sangeetha Kalanidhi Dr. T V Gopalakrishnan. He learns veena from Smt. Anuradha Sundar and is an avid seeker of music.

Vivek is a student of ‘Laya Kala Ratna’ Sri Ramesh Srinivasan and the Sarvalaghu Percussion Arts Center (SPAC) for the past 10 years. He has provided accompaniment for Carnatic vocal concerts for several upcoming artists across the Bay Area, and has participated in many events of the school including several thaala vadhyam programs. Vivek is a featured konnakol performer, commended for his skills by both Sri. Mannargudi Eashwaran and Smt. Aruna Sairam for two Cleveland Showcase programs in 2013 and 2014. He completed his mridangam arangetram in 2014, in San Jose, California, providing percussion support for the Carnatica Brothers with Hemmige Srivatsan on Violin and Sri. Balaji Chandran on Ghatam. In addition to mridangam, Vivek is also a trained bharatanatyam dancer, having completed his arangetram in 2008 under the guidance of his first guru Smt. Madhusri Sethuraman. He later trained with Smt. Vidhya Subramanian and with several acclaimed male dancers including Sri. V.P. Dhananjayan, Sri. A. Lakshman and Sri. Seshadri Iyengar. Vivek is a trained nattuvanar, accompanying his teacher, Smt. Vidhya Subramanian in professional programs. Currently, Vivek is a sophomore at Swarthmore College, studying computational biology and South Asian studies.

Vishal Setlur, a junior at Klein Oak High School in Spring, Texas has been learning Mridangam for over 9 years under the tutelage of Sri. Ramesh Srinivasan, director of of the Sarvalaghu Percussion Art Center. In the summer of 2015, Vishal was privileged to perform his Mridangam Arangetram in Bangalore playing for the impressive trio of - Neyveli Sri. R Santhanagopalan (vocal), Sri. R. Raghul (violin) and Sri. S.V. Ramani (ghatam).

Sathya has been learning mridangam for the past 6+ years from her father, Laya Kala Rathna Sri Ramesh Srinivasan, prime disciple of Sangeetha Kalanidhi Vellore G.Ramabhadran.

She recently won the Best Percussionist award at the Yuva-junior Sangeet Samraat event at the USA National Level in Mridangam.

Sathya had her Mridangam Arangetram debut concert accompanying the violin duet concert by the Vidwan Lalgudi GJR Krishnan and Vidushi Lalgudi J Vijayalakshmi with Vidwan Ghatam Suresh on Ghatam on January 3rd 2015 in Chennai. Sangita Kalanidhi Shri TV Gopalakrishnan was the chief guest for the program. Sathya is in 9th grade in Evergreen Valley High School in San Jose, California.