Sreevalsan J. Menon is an Indian Carnatic vocalist and a

music composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

from

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

Biography

After initial training under Rajalakshmi Krishnan (disciple of

Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar a.k.a. Vaidyanatha Iyer (1 September 1896 – 16 October 1974) was a Carnatic music singer from Palakkad (state of Kerala, India). Known by his village name ''Chembai'', or simply as ''Bhagavatar'', he was born to ...

) and violinist T.V. Ramani at

Thrissur Thrissur (), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and t ...

, Menon had much of his advanced tutelage under the late

Neyyattinkara Vasudevan Neyyattinkara Vasudevan (1940–13 May 2008) was a Carnatic music vocalist from Kerala in south India. The Padmasree-winning Carnatic vocalist and disciple of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and Ramnad Krishnan, he combined tradition and innovatio ...

. Menon is an 'A' grade artist of

All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All a ...

and has given concerts all over the country including the National Concerts of AIR and

Doordarshan Doordarshan (abbreviated as DD; Hindi: , ) is an Indian public service broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions. One of India's largest bro ...

. He has received several awards including Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award 2013, from the

Madras Music Academy Madras Music Academy is one of the earliest established music academies in South India. Before the concept of infrastructure was introduced to India in the early 1920s, it was a gathering for elite musicians simply called (and is still more ...

, and a title from Krishna Gana Sabha, also in Chennai, besides such institutions of repute in the

Deccan The large Deccan Plateau in South India, southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bou ...

. He has also participated in Music Transcends, a symphony held at Washington, D.C. in 2004, integrating

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

and Indian classical music. His

jugalbandi A jugalbandi or jugalbandhi is a performance in Indian classical music, especially in Hindustani classical music but also in Carnatic, that features a duet of two solo musicians. The word jugalbandi means, literally, "entwined twins." The duet ca ...

s with Hindustani vocalist

Ramesh Narayan Ramesh Narayan (born 3 November 1959) is an Indian classical vocalist, composer and music producer who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema. He belongs to the Mewati gharana of Hindustani classical music. Narayan began his initial traini ...

and late

Kathakali Kathakali ( ml, കഥകളി) is a major form of classical Indian dance. It is a "story play" genre of art, but one distinguished by the elaborately colourful make-up and costumes of the traditional male actor-dancers. It is native to the M ...

musicians

Kalamandalam Sankaran Embranthiri Kalamandalam Sankaran Embranthiri (1944–2007) was one of the most popular Kathakali musicians, credited with initiating a new wave in the rendition of songs for the classical dance-drama from Kerala in south India. His shruti-aligned music wa ...

and

Kalamandalam Hyderali Kalamandalam Hyderali (5 September 1946 – 5 January 2006) ( ml, കലാമണ്ഡലം ഹൈദരാലി) was one of the best Kathakali singers of his generation, and the first non-Hindu artiste to make a mark in the four-century-ol ...

have been widely appreciated. Menon's two songs ("I Be Here" and "I Have Secrets") and background score for Saint Dracula has been qualified for songs and original score categories of 85th Academy Awards. The background score by Sreevalsan for the film

Ottaal '' Ottaal'' (English: ''The Trap'') is a 2015 Indian Malayalam film directed by Jayaraj, an adaptation of the short story "Vanka" by Russian author Anton Chekhov. This film stars Ashanth K Sha and Kumarakom Vasudevan, as well as actors Shine Tom ...

which won the crystal bear at the Berlin festival 2016 was praised for its laid back music in the award citation. Known for the spiritual quality of his renditions, Sreevalsan's carnatic music style is marked by a majestic sweep in Krithi rendering, brevity in alapana, meaningful Niraval elaborations; all in sync with a perfect alignment to Sruthi. Sreevalsan has also carved a niche area for himself through his thematic musical productions on the Rains, Seasons, Rasas and Temples of Kerala.

Personal life

Menon is married to Indu since 8 September 1996 and they have a daughter Subadra and a son Narayanan who are also known for their musical talent.

Career

Menon's music albums are fresh and innovative. They include Vanaprastham, a musical interpretation of the famous short story by

M.T. Vasudevan Nair Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair (born 1933 July 15 ), popularly known as MT, is an Indian author, screenplay writer and film director. He is a prolific and versatile writer in modern Malayalam literature, and is one of the masters of post-I ...

; ''Monsoon Anuraga'' a musical experience on

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

rains. ''Vismaya'', a fantasy video album featuring ''Artist Namboodiri'', M T Vasudevan Nair and menon himself. He has given Carnatic vocal performances and lecture demonstrations throughout India, the Middle East, UK, US, Canada and Africa. Menon works as Professor at the Kerala Agricultural University in Thrissur, and has a Ph D in Agricultural Extension from IARI, New Delhi. (He earned his doctorate with research on the social impact of rubber cultivation.) A native of Kunissery in

Palakkad Palakkad (), formerly known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is most densely populated municipal ...

district, Menon lives in the temple town of

Tripunithura Thrippunithura or Tripunithura (), is a prominent historical and residential region in the City of Kochi in Kerala, India. Located about 7 km (4 mi) from the city centre, Tripunithura was the capital of the erstwhile Kingdom of Cochin ...

off

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

Filmography

Albums

*''Krishna - A Musical Reflection'' *''Vanaprastham'' *''Kshetranjali'' *''Monsoon Anuraga'' *''Classical Encounters'' - with guru Sri. Neyyatinkara Vasudevan *''Vismaya - Emotional Expressions'': audio & music video album with Bini Panicker *''Manasa Smarami'' *''Madhuram Gayati'' *''Ananda Poonkatru'' *''Sree Guruvayurappan Gananjali : Vol - 3'' *''Jugal Bandi : Vol 1 & 2'' - with Kalamandalam Shankaran Embranthiri & Meledam Narayanan *''Sringaram'' *''Begane Baro'' *''Ramanan'' *''Bhavayami'' *''Navarasa Thillana'' *''Irayimman Thampi Kritis'' *''Rituleela'' *''Hare'' *''Swami Ayyappan'' *''The genius of Kunjan Nambiar''

References

External links

Sreevalsan J. Menon - Official website Will Sreevalsan bring home an Oscar?
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20071001063118/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2005/07/01/stories/2005070102320300.htm The Hindu - Kunnakkudi Vaidyanathan and Sreevalsan J. Menonbr>Swathithirunal.org
* ttp://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEX20071029024559&Title=Kochi&rLink=0 Newindpress - When dusk settles...br> Video - Vismaya Music Album

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20121107225849/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2009/09/19/stories/2009091952670600.htm The Hindu - WELL composed!br>Sreevalsan with Nithyasree MahadevanRemembering Mandolin U. Sreenivas (Malayalam)Interview with Sreevalsan J Menon - Times of India
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Sreevalsan praises Action Hero Biju
{{DEFAULTSORT:Menon, Sreevalsan J Male Carnatic singers Carnatic singers 21st-century Indian male classical singers Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Films scored by Sreevalsan J. Menon Singers from Kerala Agriculture educators People from Palakkad district