T.N. Krishnan

Trippunitura Narayanan Krishnan was born on October 6, 1928 into an illustrious family of musicians acclaimed in the Carnatic and Hindustani traditions of Indian classical music. Both his parents, A. Narayana Iyer and Ammini Ammal, hailed from families whose musical lineage can be traced back five generations. Music was an integral part of his childhood in Trippunitura in the southern Indian state of Kerala where his father and guru A. Narayana Iyer was an eminent music educator.

By his eighth birthday Krishnan was already being hailed as a child prodigy in Kerala, performing in temple festivals and accompanying visiting vidwans. He was introduced to renowned musician and patron Allepey Parthasarathy Iyengar who guided him and introduced him to eminent musicians of the day. This led to an apprenticeship under the legendary musician Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer under whom Krishnan shaped and developed his performance style.

In 1943 Krishnan traveled to Chennai to accompany flute virtuoso T. R. Mahalingam in concert. That landmark performance quickly led to more concert offers and he became the star accompanist to legendary musicians such as Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, and many others. He permanently settled in Chennai due to the overwhelming love and adoration he received.

Krishnan's music represented the purest expression of the Carnatic tradition. In 1965, he joined the State Music College in Chennai as Professor of Music and subsequently served as its Principal. He also served as Dean of the School of Music and Fine Arts at the University of Delhi. He traveled the world for over sixty years, performing and promoting Indian classical music across the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria, Mexico, Australia, the former Soviet Republics, the Middle and Far East.