Carnatic vocalist Sanjay Subrahmanyan, known to add a contemporary touch to the traditional, and reach out to rasikas through blogs, podcasts, and even an iPhone app, was on Thursday conferred ‘The Indira Sivasailam Endowment Medal 2011'.
The award, set up to commemorate the late exponent and music patron Indira Sivasailam, is a joint enterprise of the Indira Sivasailam Endowment Fund and The Music Academy.
According to the citation, Sanjay Subrahmanyan was chosen for his “continued excellence in performance, audience appeal, adherence to classical tradition while innovating within its framework,” as well as his depth of knowledge and ability to bring about a greater and deeper appreciation of Carnatic music.
Mallika Srinivasan, representing the Indira Sivasailam Endowment Fund and N. Murali, president, The Music Academy presented the award to the vocalist.
In his acceptance speech, Sanjay Subrahmanyan paid tributes to his gurus - V. Lakshminarayan under whose tutelage he learnt the violin at the age of seven, Rukmini Rajagopalan who bequeathed her entire musical wealth on him, Calcutta K. S. Krishnamurthy, who taught him how to think as a musician, and nagaswaram maestro SRD Vaidyanathan who opened his eyes to the concept of freedom of expression. On the special relationship he enjoyed with accompanists he had performed with — many of whom are fantastic artists — Subrahmanyan said a successful concert was the result of team work.
Commending the Music Academy for being a bastion for promoting and preserving traditional values and excellence in Carnatic music, Sanjay Subrahmanyan said his own memory of the institution that he held close to heart went back to 1976 when he listened to a live concert by M. D. Ramanathan. On his fairly long association with the institution, he said: “I'm proud to say that I consider myself an Academy boy”.
Earlier, Ms. Srinivasan, who is also chairman of TAFE Ltd, said the award sought to recognise outstanding contribution to the practice and propogation of Carnatic music in India and internationally. This year's awardee was “a rare artiste who combines classical tradition with a contemporary style reaching out to audiences across the globe and across age groups.”
K. V. Krishna Prasad, Music Academy secretary, also participated.
