The Lehman College Department of Music, Multimedia, Theatre, and Dance presents a World Music guest recital featuring mridangam percussionist Akshay Anantapadmanabhan and violinist Arun Ramamurthy. The performance is open to the public and admission is free; donations are welcome.

​Entitled “Carnatic Roots: A Story of South Indian Classical Music,” this recital will reflect the journey of two artists who have steeped themselves in Carnatic (South Indian classical) art music. The performance will be rooted in tradition along with influences from the artists’ respective stories, in which the rich musical heritage of Chennai, the center of South Indian culture, is intertwined with the diverse sounds of the New York City music scene.

Akshay Anantapadmanabhan, one of the leading young Carnatic mridangam artists, has studied with some of India’s leading percussion gurus. He started playing the mridangam in Mumbai when he was five and made his stage debut after moving to the US four years later. He has a doctorate in engineering and is currently involved with developing new sound technology products.

Violinist-composer Arun Ramamurthy is a disciple of the celebrated Carnatic violinist brothers, Dr. Mysore Manjunath and Sri Mysore Nagaraj. Now one of the country’s leading Indian classical and crossover musicians. He is a co-founder and artistic director of Brooklyn Raga Massive, a collective of forward thinking musicians rooted in and inspired by the classical music of India. He also created the concert series Carnatic Sundays at Cornelia Street Café in New York City’s West Village.