GAYATHRI SHANKAR, M.A (PhD)
VOCALIST
(DISCIPLE OF PADMABHUSAN LALGUDI SRI. G.JAYARAMAN)
ARTIST PROFILE
Gayatri Sankar, a prodigy in music has been performing since the age of eight. She imbibed this talent from her mother who was herself a popular Karnatic Musician of yester years and was Gayathri’s first guru. Later, she trained under the tutelage of Sri. Allamaraju Someswara Rao. She blossomed into a singer par excellence, performing at noted Sabhas in Andhra Pradesh.
Impressed by Gayathri’s melodious renderings Smt. Rukmani Devi of the Kalakshetra fame took Gayathri under her wings for further grooming. Here, like Puddukodu Sri S. Krishnamoorthy, Sri.M.D.Ramanathan and Variamangalam Sri molded her into a versatile musician by veterans’ musicians. Lakshminarayanan. She passed both the Diploma and Post Graduate Diploma Courses at Kalakshetra with excellence.
Gayathri also has a flair for playing the Violin and initiated into this by Sri. Pakkala Ramados. Soon, the quintessence of Lalgudi Style, characterized by pristine purity, lucidity, superb clarity, melody and above all the deep emphasis on Sahithya, attracted her very much. Padmabhushan Lalgudi Sri. G. Jayaraman fulfilled a long cherished ambition Sri. G.Jayaraman adopted her as his devoted Disciple.
Gayathri Shankar began her music career as a Staff Artist in All India Radio, Chennai in 1988 (“A” Grade in KARNATIC Music, “B” High in Devotional, Light Music and Violin).
PROGRAMMES AND PUBLICITY
Gayathri has accompanied many Vocalists on her Violin and given few performances in Sabhas.
She has enthralled audiences across the country with her enchanting voice and lively rendering of kritis at different Sabhas and several religious centers for various festival programmes. She has performed in the various programmes of Doordarshan and other private channels even from an early age.
At the Music Academy, she gave a unique music performance, where the children of the Clarke School for Deaf and Dumb danced by keeping in tune with only her lip movement and she sang only by listening to their footsteps. This was so well coordinated that everyone including the Governor of Tamil applauded it.
The Sri Lanka Anjaneyar Temple released an audio cassette by Gayathri Shankar in 2003.
She has sung for a couple of documentary films like “Bharathiar” and “Orphan Children” produced by Ms. Soudha Mani and more such documentaries are under production.
Leading newspapers and magazines across the country have published raving reviews of this gentle, sweet and talented artist. Many television channels have featured her in talks and interviews.
WORKSHOPS
Gayathri at The Fine Arts Society, Mumbai, successfully conducted a two-day workshop focusing on “Ancient Tamil Music, Musicology and KARNATIC Music”.
AWARDS AND ACCOLADES
Gayathri Shankar has won over 150 prizes in music competition conducted by various music institutions at both the State and National level. Some of the titles bestowed on her are “Surmani” by the Sur Singer Samsath, Mumbai, “Isai Chudar” by Lioness Club of South Chennai “Special Pallavi Singer” by Krishna Gana Sabha. She awarded the “Best Teacher” award by the Maragatham Chandrasekhar Trust in 2002 and Bharathiar Manram, Mumbai honored in 2002. Several other titles have come her way.
She won the “Best Vocalist” award from the Indian Fine Arts, Chennai in 2003.
Gayathri has selected as an empanelled artist for Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), New Delhi.
REVIEWS
“Eleven year old B.Gayathri Gurunathan of Kakinada gave a scintillating music concert the audience of the Tenali Music Academyat the Sri Goverdhana Swamy temple here. Gayathri exhibited the knowledge much above her age while rendering neravu in Ramapriya and kritis in Kalyani and Hindolam. She has a rich and sonorous voice” – The Indian Express – 1977.
Gayathri’s conventional Karnatic music provided a rich variety of classical traditions under one roof” – Indian Express, November 28, 1986
“Ambassador of Music – Gayathri Shankar is a precocious who has won many
awards for her proficiency in music” – The Hindu. Guntur
“Gayatri Sankar gave a satisfying account of her proficiency in Karnatic music”- R.V. The Hindu, 19th May 2000.
“Gayatri sankar may not have light in her life, but she certainly has music” – Femina Magazine, July 2001.
“Artist with a difference – an inspiring account how Gayathri Shankar crossed milestones despite living with a physical handicap” – New Woman magazine, October 2001.
“God’s ways are inscrutable. Otherwise, how can one explain that a melody queen like Gayathri Sankar should have been denied her eyesight- Cruel indeed” – Mr. Subbudu, The Statesman, New Delhi, 23rd August 2002.
“A disciple arrives in her own right” “Gayatri sankar is a rare artiste. Visually Challenged, she continues to search for excellence” G.S. Rajan, The Hindu, New Delhi 22nd March 2002. (Vocal recital at India International Centre, New Delhi)
“An excellent performance – Gayahtri Sankar has proved her mettle by rising above her handicaps – Excellent vocal recital under the auspices of Shree Shanmugananda Sangeeta Sabha at the Triveni Chamber Theatre which was marked by not only musical acumen but also melody. She traversed three and a half octave effortlessly and negotiated pleasing phrasings in the process. Never once, there was a false note – Mr. Subbudu, The Statesman, 20th June 2003.
Gayathri has accompanied many Vocalists on her Violin and given few performances in Sabhas.
She has enthralled audiences across the country with her enchanting voice and lively rendering of kritis at different Sabhas and several religious centers for various festival programmes. She has performed in the various programmes of Doordarshan and other private channels even from an early age.
At the Music Academy, she gave a unique music performance, where the children of the Clarke School for Deaf and Dumb danced by keeping in tune with only her lip movement and she sang only by listening to their footsteps. This was so well coordinated that everyone including the Governor of Tamil applauded it.
The Sri Lanka Anjaneyar Temple released an audio cassette by Gayathri Shankar in 2003.
She has sung for a couple of documentary films like “Bharathiar” and “Orphan Children” produced by Ms. Soudha Mani and more such documentaries are under production.
Leading newspapers and magazines across the country have published raving reviews of this gentle, sweet and talented artist. Many television channels have featured her in talks and interviews.
Gayathri at The Fine Arts Society, Mumbai, successfully conducted a two-day workshop focusing on “Ancient Tamil Music, Musicology and KARNATIC Music”.
AWARDS AND ACCOLADES
Gayathri Shankar has won over 150 prizes in music competition conducted by various music institutions at both the State and National level. Some of the titles bestowed on her are “Surmani” by the Sur Singer Samsath, Mumbai, “Isai Chudar” by Lioness Club of South Chennai “Special Pallavi Singer” by Krishna Gana Sabha. She awarded the “Best Teacher” award by the Maragatham Chandrasekhar Trust in 2002 and Bharathiar Manram, Mumbai honored in 2002. Several other titles have come her way.
She won the “Best Vocalist” award from the Indian Fine Arts, Chennai in 2003.
Gayathri has selected as an empanelled artist for Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), New Delhi.