Anantha R. Krishnan

🪔 About

Anantha R. Krishnan, also known as Anantharaman Krishnan or Anand, is a celebrated Indian-American Carnatic mridangam artist, composer, and educator. Born in Chennai (then Madras), he moved to the USA at the age of five. He is the grandson and disciple of the legendary mridangam maestro, Sangita Kalanidhi Palghat R. Raghu. Anantha began his mridangam training at the age of five under his uncle, R. Ramkumar, before commencing formal tutelage with his grandfather. He performed his first concert at the age of seven. Krishnan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Western Music and Philosophy from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and a Master of Fine Arts in Electronic Music and Percussion from Mills College, California. He also pursued special interest studies in tabla under Ustad Zakir Hussain. His illustrious career includes performances with stalwarts such as Sangita Kalanidhi Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Prof. T.N. Krishnan, Dr. K.J. Yesudas, and Mandolin U. Shrinivas. He has performed internationally, including for the Millennium celebrations in Berlin (1999), EXPO 2000 in Hanover, and the Sadler's Wells Music Festival in London (2000). Notably, he was a featured soloist in the Grammy-nominated "Miles from India" tour in 2008 and was the first mridangam artist to appear in Carnegie Hall's "Shape of Jazz" series with the group Samdhi. He has also performed with Ustad Zakir Hussain and the Masters of Percussion. Anantha R. Krishnan moved to India in 2009 and currently serves as a faculty member of percussion at A.R. Rahman's KM Music Conservatory in Chennai. He is also the founder of the "Misterdangam Guild," an online curriculum for mridangam learning, and "Saadhana Sessions," a workshop for intermediate to advanced rhythm students. He is recognized for his contributions to Carnatic music and his ability to blend styles, and has accompanied Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi dance artists for over two decades. Awards & Honours: Best Mridangist Prize, State of the Arts Award (1997), State of the Arts Award (1998), Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar (2021).