S. Saketharaman

Saketharaman (born 24 November 1982 in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu) is one of the top performing Carnatic vocalists of his generation. He began learning Carnatic vocal at age 4 from the late Srirangam Krishnamurthy Rao and is a prime disciple of Padma Bhushan Lalgudi Jayaraman. He has also trained in voice culture and Hindustani music under Sangeetha Kalanidhi T. V. Gopalakrishnan, and learned rare kritis of the Trinity and other yesteryear composers from Vidwan Nagai Muralidharan. Often called the 'Prince of Pallavis,' Saketharaman has composed over 100 pallavis featured regularly in his concerts, including thematic works like 'Sapta Swara Sapta Raga Sapta Thala,' 'Ashta Gowlai,' and 'Pancha Ranga Kshetra.' He is an 'A' grade All India Radio artist and has received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Yuva Puraskar and the Madras Music Academy's best vocalist award for three consecutive years. He runs Kala Shiksha, a music school where over 200 students learn Carnatic music, Nama Sankeerthanam, and Tamil Isai.