The vocal concert jointly organized by Swarajhari and Vijayawada Cultural Academy at Sri Sringeri Peetha Paripalita Sri Sivaramakrishna Kshetram, Vijayawada presented a young and promising vocalist to the audience. An engineering student M. V. K. Sandilya, who received his musical training from Modumudi Sudhakar, G. Srinivasa Murthy, Vijamuri Subhash (USA) and Padmini Iyer (USA) won the first prize in many competitions held by several cultural bodies in the State. He is also a fine mridangam and kanjira artiste and has accompanied a number of concert artistes.
Sandilya began the concert with Bhairavi Ata tala varnam briskly in two speeds giving a good start to the concert. This was followed by Raghunayaka in Hamsadhwani which carried brief kalpana swaras rendered with admirable ease. Next came Marivere in Anandabhairavi, Rara Mayintidaka in Asaveri, Adamodi in Charukesi and Bhogindra Sayinam (Kuntalavarali) with not much of manodharmam aspects. However, Sandilya did justice to the main item Etavunara in Kalyani. The raga elaboration and the swaras were rendered imaginatively impressing the rasikas. Sandilya would do better to pay more attention to the sruti alignment. Superb violin support came from teen aged prodigy Kamal Kiran Vijamuri of U.S.A.
Kamal has all the requisites of a matured violinist with a great sense of aesthetics. His replies to Sandilyas ragas and kalpana swaras showed his grasp and alertness. B. Suresh’s support on the mridangam was pleasing. Sandilya closed his concert with Narayanate an Annamayya keertana in Behag, `Ramachandruditadu , another Annamayya keertana in Dwijavanthi and Swathi Tirual’s thillana in Dhanasri.
