Jyotsna Srikanth

Jyotsna Srikanth
Live concert, 2011
Born	Bangalore
Nationality	India
Known for	Carnatic music, Western music

Jyotsna Srikanth is an Indian violinist and composer, performing Carnatic music and Western classical music.

Jyotsna Srikanth was born in an Andhra musical family in Bangalore, India. Her mother, Ratna Srikantaiah, is a Carnatic musician and teacher.

Jyotsna's music training began with Carnatic vocals at age five under her mother. It was a rigorous programme of coaching, with practice for six hours daily, and the attendance of concerts during the festival periods.

At the age of six, she attended a violin performance by the virtuoso Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan, which sparked her own interest in the instrument. She began training under R. R. Keshavamurthy, a doyen of classical Indian violin. Her first solo concert was at the age of nine.

Jyotsna recognised the necessity of learning the western classical style of violin to become a complete violinist, and began her training in this genre at the Bangalore School of Music. For more advanced training, she went to Chennai to study with V.S. Narasimhan, a solo violinist who works with the notable Indian composer Ilaiyaraaja. She achieved her grading from the Royal School of Music, London.

Jyotsna's initial foray into music came in the film industry, playing under the direction of film composers such as Hamsalekha and Ilaiyaraaja. By her account, she has played for over two hundred south Indian films.

Following her marriage, she moved to London, where she expanded her repertoire to music scores for documentaries (on Discovery and National Geographic), teleserials, besides performing at global music events such as WOMAD, the Red Violin Festival, the Cleveland Music Festival, and the BBC Proms.

Jyotsna also performs jazz and fusion, and has set up a troupe called Fusion Dreams,. She has collaborated with the classical guitarist Simon Thacker, and the flamenco/jazz guitarist Eduardo Niebla., as well as Fado saxophonist .

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