Isai Payanam - A Musical Journey with Dr. Charulatha Mani

An amazing voice spanning 3 octaves ! She launched the iconic Isai Payanam program on TV - bridging classical and film music. Her concerts are renowned for being soulful & multilingual.

• Concert Date: Sunday 08 September 2024
• Concert Time: 5 - 7 PM EST
• Concert Venue: FSW Rush Auditorium, J-103 , 8099 College Parkway, Fort Myers, FL 33919
• Admission: FREE. Please register on our website to attend.

DONATIONS WELCOME!

Dr Charulatha Mani, our main vocalist for this concert, is a multi-award winning Carnatic and film playback singer and ethnomusicologist. Having trained under stalwarts Sandhyavandanam Sri Srinivasa Rao, Calcutta Sri. K. S. Krishnamurthy, and Smt. Savitri Satyamurthy for over two decades, Charulatha is well-known for her phenomenal vocal ability, three octave range, and flawless technique. Her classical depth and creative innovation have earned her several awards and accolades (Yuva Kala Bharati, M. S. Subbulakshmi Endowment Award from Narada Gana Sabha, and Isai Kurisil from Govt. of India).

Charulatha launched the iconic Isai Payanam in 2006, first as a TV show on Jaya TV and then as a concert series at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Chennai. Over the last 15 years, Isai Payanam has grown to become a world-renowned brand among rasikas, students, and artists alike. An innovative concert format like no other, Charulatha Mani’s Isai Payanam draws together the powerful aspects of Carnatic ragas and classically based film music from with a multilingual flavor. Known for Charulatha’s brilliant raga analysis, breathtaking vocal prowess and range, vintage to modern pan-Indian coverage, and classy aesthetic appeal, Isai Payanam has demystified and democratised Carnatic music. A multi-faceted thinker, Charulatha is also the author of “A Raga’s Journey” series of articles in The Hindu.

Charulatha completed her PhD in 2019 from the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University in Australia on synergies between Carnatic vocal music and 17th century Italian opera. One of the frontline scholars in her field, in 2020 she founded the perinatal mental health and wellbeing initiative involving lullaby singing and songwriting among migrant and refugee mothers and midwives – “Sing to Connect“. She completed a 2-year post-doctoral research fellowship at the University of Queensland in 2022 on human flourishing and music. Charulatha is currently on the faculty at the University of Tasmania, Hobart and is Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University, Canberra. With years of teaching experience across Universities in Australia designing and lecturing courses on music and health/music education/ethnomusicology, she is an award-winning educator. Charulatha recently delivered an invited keynote address at the prestigious Carnegie Hall Lullaby Project Convention (June 1-3, 2023) on her funded research on music in health settings.

B. Anantha Krishnan, on the Violin, hails from a reputed musician family. He is the grandson and disciple of Violin Vidwan, Late V.K. Venkata Ramanujam Iyengar (Professor – Performing Arts, Banaras Hindu University), and son of equally reputed violinist Dr V. Balaji, Head of the Department, Faculty of Performing Arts, Banaras Hindu University (Varanasi).

He has had the honor of accompanying many legends of Carnatic music and continues to share the stage with all senior artists to name a few, Sangeetha Kalanidhi Balamurali Krishna, Sri. Nedunuri Krishnamuthy, Sri. T. N. Seshagopalan, Sri. T. V. Sankaranarayanan, Sri. N. Ramani, Smt. Aruna Sairam, Priya Sisters, Smt. Vishaka Hari, Sri. Abhishek Raguraman, Sri. Gurucharan, Sri. Sandeep Narayan.

He has performed at The Music Academy Madras, Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Narada Gana Sabha, Bharat Kalachar, and Shanmukhananda Sabha (Mumbai), SIMA - LA, CMANA - NJ, SIFAS Singapore.

He has played for several Music Directors - Harris Jayaraj, Santhosh Narayan, Harshavaradan Rameshwar (Telugu). He has also played in various Dance Drama Projects of Sri. Rajkumar Barathi.

He has had concert tours in several countries - Germany, Belgium, USA, Singapore, Dubai, Doha, South Africa, Australia and Srilanka. He is a graded artist of All India Radio, Chennai. He has many students some of whom have started performing concerts.



Ananthakrishnan conducted a vocal music workshop for Raaga last year, in Fort Myers.

Vijay Ganesh, on the Mridangam (hand drum), started learning this divine art from the age of 6. He had his tutelage under Sangeetha kala Acharya, Vidwan Late Kumbakonam Rajappa Iyer.

He also had lessons from Mridangam Legend Kalaimamani Srimushnam  V Rajarao.

Vijay Ganesh has performed extensively in India and United States accompanying many eminent Carnatic musicians like Dr M Balamurali Krishna, Nagai Muralidharan, Lalgudi GJR Krishnan, TM Krishna, P Unnikrishnan, Maharajapuram Ramachandran. He has also played with outstanding musicians of the Hindustani stream like Pandit Viswamohan Bhatt, Pandit Ronu Majumdar.

He is an AIR, Chennai graded artist.

He has won several awards including:

Best Mridangist award from Music Academy

Best Mridangist award in Gokulashtami festival from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha

 “Youth excellence” for Mridangam from Sri Maharajapuram Vishwanatha Iyer trust.

Vijay Ganesh is the director of KMR School of Mridangam under which he is propagating Carnatic music in many prestigious stages in & around USA & Canada.