Trinity of Tones
Shri Jayadevan Nair
Jayadevan is a Holiwood award-winning music composer, Music Director, Orchestrator, and Violinist. The Indian-born Canadian Violinist hails from a family of artists, with his grandfather Abhayadev being a well-known name in both the Malayalam film and literary worlds.
Jayadevan started learning violin at a young age under Kalaksethram Madhu and Nedumangadu Sivanandan. Afterward, he received advanced lessons from the renowned vocalist, Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna. He represents the sixth generation of students trained in the tradition of St. Thyagaraja.
Shri. B Gowrishankar
Gowrishanker Balachandran is an internationally renowned Toronto-based mridangam Vidwaan who has been performing for almost four decades. He is the first and prime disciple of Sangeetha Kalanidhi Dr. Thiruvarur Bakthavatsalam. He has the distinction of accompanying many celebrated artists like Dr. N. Ramani, T. N. Seshagopalan, T. N. Krishnan, T. V. Sankaranarayanan, Kadri Gopalnath, K. J. Yesudas, O. S. Thyagarajan, P. Unnikrishnan, Neyveli Santhanagopalan and N. Ravikiran, just to name a few. Gowrishanker is well known for his involvement in many jugalbandhi and fusion music concerts with many celebrated artists across the globe. He has received many honours and awards in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the promotion of Carnatic Music in Canada. Some awards he has received are “Mridanga Vadhya Sironmani” presented by Gayathri Fine Arts of New Delhi (2007), “Best Teacher Award” presented by the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana and many more.
Sri Ramana Indrakumar
Sri Ramana Indrakumar embarked on his journey with the mridangam at the tender age of 11 under the tutelage of Vidwan Sri Vasuthevan Rajalingam, emerging as one of his most distinguished disciples. In 2003, he founded Chandam Fine Arts, assuming the role of its visionary director. Over the years, Sri Ramana has fostered collaborations with renowned musicians and composers worldwide, leaving an indelible mark on numerous projects and gracing several international festivals as a featured artist.
Sri Ramana Indrakumar is widely recognized as one of North America’s foremost teachers, esteemed by local and international artists for his ability to guide students to concert-level proficiency and beyond. His students have achieved 1st place and numerous awards at competitions and musical events across North America, including the Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival and Thamil Isai Kalaamanram of Ontario. Notably, Chandam Fine Arts, founded by Sri Ramana Indrakumar in collaboration with his Guru’s school Mirudanga Seshthiram, represents a unique lineage in North America as the first Mridangam school with four generations of artists performing and teaching. Chandam Fine Arts enriches students’ understanding, knowledge, and skills in Mridangam, Ghatam, Khanjira, Morsing, and other percussive instruments. In addition to in-person classes, Chandam offers instruction across North America through Skype and Zoom sessions. Alongside weekly percussion classes, Chandam hosts an annual summer camp dedicated to nurturing students’ passion for Carnatic music. Chandam strives to develop talented young musicians who will emerge as leaders in North America and beyond.
