Kesav Raghavan
currently is a Senior at Stanford University majoring in
Biology and plans to matriculate to medical school in the
2011-2012 academic year. Kesav began learning violin at age
7 from V.L. Sudharsan. Currently he is learning from Akkarai
S. Subhalakshmi and has taken guidance from Chitravina N
Ravikiran and the late Sri A Sundaresan.
Kesav played his first large scale solo performance in 2003.
Since then, Kesav has performed several solo concerts and
duets with his brother, Govind, in both the US and India. In
India, he has performed at esteemed venues like Naada Inbam,
Sri Krishna Ghana Sabha, and Thirumala Thirupathi Devastanam.
In addition, he has had the opportunity to accompany many
artists including great musicians like Chitravina N
Ravikiran, Late Sri A Sundaresan, OS Thiagarajan, and
Neyveli Santhanagopalan. He has also won several prizes at
the annual Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana music competition.
Along with Carnatic music, Kesav is very interested in jazz.
He played trombone in the Rio Americano High School AM jazz
band and currently is a member of the Stanford Jazz
Orchestra. He enjoys basic science research and
participating in community service. Finally, he really
appreciates all sports and especially enjoys playing golf,
tennis, and basketball.
Govind Raghavan, a
freshman at University of California San Diego, has been
learning Indian Carnatic violin since the age of 7. Over the
course of his
life, Govind has travelled to India every year to progress
and work towards
mastering the art. Initially learning from Sri V.L. Sudarsan,
Govind
Raghavan currently is under the tutelage of Kumari Akkarai
S. Subhalakshmi,
while receiving guidance from Chitravina N. Ravikiran,
Gayathri
Venkataraghavan, and the late Sri A. Sundaresan. He has
performed numerous
duet concerts in India and America with his brother, Kesav
Raghavan, while
also providing accompaniment for Bharathanatyam performances
in Sacramento
and the Bay Area.
Govind
has also won several prizes at the Cleaveland Aradhana.
Along with Carnatic violin, Govind also
plays trumpet,tennis, golf, and ultimate frisbee.
Studying biology at UCSD,
he plans on
pursuing a career in medicine.
Vignesh Venkataraman
Vignesh, a 12th grader at Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, CA is a mridangam artist hailing from Umalyalpuram Sri. K. Sivaraman’s school. Vignesh was initiated into playing Mridangam by Sri. Anand Iyer, also from the same school. For the past 6 years, Vignesh has been traveling to India every summer undergoing advanced training under the tutelage of Umayalpuram Sri. K. Sivaraman.Vignesh has accompanied various artists including some senior musicians in San Francisco Bay Area concerts as well as concerts in Chennai India. He has given many performances organized by LOTUS, Nandalala Mission, Swaralahari, South India Fine Arts and San Francisco Sangati Center. He has participated in San Francisco World Music Festival four years in a row.
Vignesh has participated in mridangam and vocal competitions at the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana festival and has won several prizes in both categories.