Judges -
Papanasam Ashok Ramani
An accomplished Carnatic Vocal musician for over 20 years, and grandson of Tamil composer Brahmashri Papanasam Siva, he commenced music training at a very young age with his mother Dr. Rukmini Ramani (daughter of Papanasam Sivan). Subsequently was under the tutelage of Dr. S. Ramanathan. Sro Ashok Ramani learnt from Calcutta K.S. Krishnamurthy & Bombay Ramachandran. He is a disciple of Palghat K.V. Narayanaswamy for over 17 years.
Sri Ashok Ramani has performed in all major Sabhas all over India and abroad. His performances in Singapore, Malaysia, Mauritius and at the Thyagaraja Aradhana Festival at Cleveland, Ohio were well received by rasikas.
Apart from concerts, Sri Ashok Ramani also specialises in lecture demonstrations and has provided many such lectures in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia & United States. Sri Ashok Ramani has also performed in many European countries such as Germany, France, Switzerland and London.
He has been conferred the title of "ISAI PAEROLI" by Karthik Fine Arts and also has the distinction of having won the "Youth Excellence Award" by Maharajapuram Vishwanatha Iyer Trust in 1998. His other awards include "IsaiBharathi" and "Yuva Kala Bharathi".
S.Soumya
A Carnatic musician by profession, Sowmya's life has been soaked in melody from the very beginning. Growing up in a traditional South Indian family, she had her initial tutelage in music from her father Dr. Srinivasan, a Chemical Engineer with an enduring passion for Carnatic music. Later she was singularly fortunate to be taken under the wings of Sangita Kalanidhi Dr. S. Ramanathan - exemplary musician, esteemed musicologist and extraordinary human being. She received further training from Smt. T. Muktha, of the legendary Brinda-Muktha duo. She attributes her success and achievements till today to these individuals and to the bountiful blessings of her beloved Ambal, the Goddess Kamakshi of Kanchipuram.
The desire to propagate the traditions of South Indian music worldwide led her to establish Carnatica, an institution dedicated to music & dance instruction, archival, talent search and other related activities. In addition to being an accomplished musician, Sowmya also has excellent academic credentials. She is a double postgraduate (Master's in Chemistry as well as Indian Music) and was a top-ranked scholar at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) and the University of Madras. Currently pursuing doctoral research under the guidance of Dr. Premeela Gurumurthy at the University of Madras, Sowmya is a widely traveled, popular vocalist who strives to adhere to the strict classical values imbibed from her gurus Dr. Ramanathan and Smt. Mukta.
