Sikkil Gurucharan
Sikkil Gurucharan | |
|---|---|
 Sikkil Gurucharan | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 21 June 1982 Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Genres | Carnatic Music |
| Occupation | Carnatic musician – vocalist |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Website | sikkil |
Sikkil C. Gurucharan (born 21 June 1982) is an Indian Carnatic vocalist. He is the grandson of Sikkil Kunjumani, elder of the internationally acclaimed flautists the Sikkil Sisters. Gurucharan has been under the tutelage of Vaigal S. Gnanaskandan and is currently being mentored by Shri B. Krishnamurthy. He is an A grade All India Radio artist. The magazine India Today featured him among 35 Game Changers Under (the age of) 35 in India, a list of young achievers from different walks of life.[1]
In 2020, he acted in a Tamil anthology film, Putham Pudhu Kaalai.
Early life
Gurucharan's tonal perfection (sruti suddham) as a five-year-old led to him learning vocal music, despite being born to a family of flautists. He received initial lessons in music from his mother Mythili, and later received advanced training from S. Gnanaskandan, a disciple of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer.[2]
Education and initial career
Sikkil Gurucharan was a student of Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School and was adjudged Best Outgoing Student. He received a master's degree in Financial Management from Loyola College in 2004.[3]
Music as a profession
Sikkil Gurucharan's first concert was held at the Music Academy, under the aegis of the Gnanaskandan Trust in the year 1994. From the time he decided to devote himself to Carnatic music as a full-time professional, there has been no looking back. In a span of close to 13 years, Gurucharan has performed extensively in India and abroad, spanning prestigious venues such as the Music Academy (Chennai), Sri Shanmukhananda Sabha (Mumbai), Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay (Singapore), Riverside Theatres (Sydney), Korean Arts Management Centre (Seoul), the Sangeet Natak Akademi (New Delhi), Chowdiah Memorial Hall (Bangalore) and also at popular festivals like the Tyagaraja Aradhana (Tiruvaiyaru), Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival (USA), Rabindra Utsav (Kolkata), to name a few.
Apart from performing the traditional Carnatic music concerts conforming to the Paddathi style, Sikkil Gurucharan and pianist Anil Srinivasan, have brought together the classical piano and Carnatic vocal music to create a format which has been termed as "devastatingly beautiful" by the guitarist John McLaughlin. Their music which has gathered followers in India, Singapore, Australia, USA and Europe in a short span of time, presents and preserves classical music in a way that reaches out to the younger listeners of music but at the same time, satisfies the puritans who look out for the aesthetic value. They have several albums to their credit. The duo has performed with renowned artists like the Dhananjayans, Anita Ratnam, Anandavalli, Ramli Ibrahim and Muraad Ali among others.
Awards & recognition
| Title / Award | Presented By | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Kala Rathna | Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival | 2014 |
| Vocational Excellence Award[4] | Rotary Club of Madras Downtown | 2012 |
| Isai Peroli[5] | Kartik Fine Arts | 2012 |
| Ritz Youth Icon Award | Ritz Magazine | 2012 |
| Thandava Sangeetha Bharathi[6] | Gopalakrishna Bharathi Festival Committee | 2012 |
| Nedunuri Krishnamurthi Puraskar[7] | Visakha Music Academy | 2011 |
| Yagnaraman Award of Excellence[8] | Sri Krishna Gana Sabha | 2010 |
| CMANA MLV Award for Best young Musician | Narada Gana Sabha | 2008 |
| Nada Sri | Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Da Ni Foundation | 2008 |
| Best Concert of the Season | Indian Fine Arts Society | 2008 |
| Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar[9] | Sangeet Natak Akademi | 2007 |
| Shanmukha Sironmani Award | Sri Shanmukhananda Sabha, Mumbai | 2007 |
| Tchaikovsky Award for the best young musician of the year[10] | Russian Cultural Center | 2006 |
| Yuva Kala Bharathi[11] | Bharat Kalachar | 2005 |
| Isai Chudar | Kartik Fine Arts | 2005 |
| Naada Oli | Naada Inbam | 2005 |
| Best Vocalist proficient in all aspects of Music | Indian Fine Arts | 2005 |
| TAG corporation's Ramabhadran Centenary Award for most promising young artiste of the year | TAG Corporation | 2005 |
| Kalki Memorial Award[12] | Kalki Memorial Trust | 2005 |
| Dharmatma memorial Award | Raja Annamalaipuram Sabha | 2005 |
| Swarna Venkatesha Dikshitar award | Music Academy Conference | 2004, 2003, 2002 |
| Best Concert | Music Academy Conference | 2003 |
| Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer award for best raga renditions | Sri Krishna Gana Sabha | 2002 |
| Best Performer in Sub Senior Category during Music Season | Indian Fine Arts Society | 2002 |
| Best Vocalist Award | Sri Krishna Gana Sabha | 2000 |
| Special Talent Award | Thyaga Bramha Gana Sabha | 1997 |
| Special Talent Award | Thyaga Bramha Gana Sabha | 1997 |
| Sangeetha Bhaskara | Gnanaskandan Trust | 1994 |
He has also won several prizes in the competitions held at Music Academy, Narada Gana Sabha, Mylapore Fine Arts etc. during the years 1995–1999
Albums & discography
Sikkil Gurucharan is a Carnatic musician known for his efforts to engage both students and wider audiences with the tradition. He has participated in youth festivals and lecture-demonstrations, and has recorded several theme-based albums. His approach incorporates innovation while remaining rooted in established Carnatic music practices, contributing to the art form's accessibility and appeal among diverse listeners.
Gurucharan has worked on an album with John McLaughlin, Mandolin U. Srinivas, Louis Banks called "Miles from India" which was nominated for the Best Contemporary Jazz Album at the 51st Grammy Awards.[13]
His album "Ramayana" is a musical dramatisation of the epic, drawing on ragas and kritis to portray the various episodes. This album has been the underlying theme in Gurucharan's concerts in Singapore and Indonesia and received critical acclaim. On the other hand, his album "Madhirakshi", together with Anil Srinivasan, is the first of many a contemporary experiment with piano and voice. The album "Parama", has recently received a nomination for the category 'Best Carnatic Classical Album – Vocal' at the Global Indian Music Awards 2011.[14]
Here is a comprehensive list of his albums.
Personal life
Sikkil Gurucharan's mother Mythili, the daughter of Sikkil Kunjumani, is a retired flute teacher from the Government Music College, Chennai. His father Chandrasekaran, a consultant with a leading pharmaceutical distribution firm, is a popular Tamil theatre artist who has also done cameo roles in films like Sivaji. Gurucharan married Janani Lakshminarayan on 23 May 2010[15] and the couple resides in Chennai. They have two children. His maternal aunt Sikkil Mala Chandrasekar is an acclaimed flautist and is married to Chandrasekar, grandson of the singer M. S. Subbulakshmi.
References
- ↑ "Sikkil Gurucharan: The New Classical".
- ↑ mvires. "Sikkil C. Gurucharan". Herbert and Nicole Wertheim School of Music & Performing Arts. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
- ↑ mvires. "Sikkil C. Gurucharan". Herbert and Nicole Wertheim School of Music & Performing Arts. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
- ↑ "Chennai 360 – Chennaionline". Archived from the original on 13 December 2012.
- ↑ "Titles conferred on city's young vocalist, dancer- The New Indian Express". Archived from the original on 6 November 2013.
- ↑ "- Event | Sabhash!".
- ↑ "VMA fete from Nov. 26 - ANDHRA PRADESH - The Hindu". The Hindu. 21 November 2011.
- ↑ "The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : "Innovations now accepted in Carnatic music"". www.hindu.com. Archived from the original on 12 July 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ↑ "SNA: Yuva Puraskar 2007::". www.sangeetnatak.org. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011.
- ↑ "The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Eminent personalities honoured by Tchaikovsky Club". www.hindu.com. Archived from the original on 4 September 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ↑ "Bharat Kalachar: Yuva kala bharathi awards, Bharatanatyam, chennai margazhi festival, Margazhi mahotsav december 2002, Carnatic music, chennai music & dance seasons, Chennai bharat kalachar awards".
- ↑ "The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : 'Kalki' awards presented". www.hindu.com. Archived from the original on 20 November 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ↑ 51st Grammy Awards
- ↑ "GIMA Global Indian Music Awards - Nominees". Archived from the original on 25 September 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
- ↑ "Sikkil's high profile wedding - Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 23 September 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2022.