Kiranavali - A brief profile

Kiranavali comes from a lineage of well-respected Carnatic musicians. Her grandfather was the legendary Gotuvadyam Narayana Iyengar. Her father, N Narasimhan, a musician of great merit, saw Kiranavali's potential even as a toddler and trained her to be a prodigy. Before she was 2 1/2 years old, she was able to identify more than 200 Ragas and the 175 Talas, besides answering numerous technical questions pertaining to Carnatic music. If Indian Express called her "astounding in her precocity" (14 June 1975), the music critic of The Hindu wrote, "More fantastic is the manner in which 3-year old Kiranavali is able to tell the Raga even at the commencement of its outline." Kiranavali has also had the benefit of training intensely under her older brother Ravikiran for several years.

She has been performing regularly since the age of five, initially giving duets with her brother Shashikiran and moving on to give solo recitals. She has won the hearts of the knowledgeable and laymen alike. In her quest for excellence, Kiranavali pursued advanced vocal music training under the late T Brinda, the torchbearer of one of the most sought-after styles and the highest authority on the works of many a great composer. Under her guidance, Kiranavali has matured into a sensitive musician with a deep commitment to highly refined musical values.

In addition to her deep involvement with vocal music, Kiranavali also plays the Chitravina, true to her family tradition. She has performed solo, and has accompanied Ravikiran. In fact, she is the first artiste to be graded in both Vocal and the Chitravina by All India Radio and Doordarshan. Her music is regularly featured in their broadcasts.

Kiranavali brings with her a unique blend of strong traditional values, a good presentational style and a vocal-instrumental background. She has been featured by many leading organisations in India and the US like the Music Academy, Krishna Gana Sabha, Narada Gana Sabha, Shanmukhananda Fine Arts, National Centre for the Performing Arts (Mumbai), Cleveland Aradhana Committee and so on. Many of these concerts have earned her awards for best performances. Special mention must be made of her performance in the operatic ballet Lakshmi Prabhavam as the lead female vocalist. It not only won her great acclaim, but was also talked of as one of the biggest attractions of the show itself.

Her accomplishments extend to other spheres of music too. She is a much sought-after teacher, having done stints at the Shanmukhananda Fine Arts, Mumbai and is currently with the Centre for World Music at San Diego. Under her Editorship,www.carnatica.com has emerged as one of the top-notch sites in Carnatic music, having won the Britannica Award for Excellence. She also recently edited a book titled Ragas at a glance.

Kiranavali's artistic talents include painting, designing websites and so on, for which she has bagged prizes at an international level. Her academic records are equally impressive and include ranks at the school, regional and national levels. She holds a degree in commerce but Carnatic music remains her passion and her chosen career.

Some press quotes...

From Vocal concerts:

  • "... Young Kiranavali has a wonderful voice, a touch of huskiness to lend it distinction and depth, and a malleable timbre. It revels in ragabhava and brings off the gamakas with an ease which does not ignore their luminescence."- Frontline
  • "... Special mention is to be made of Shashikiran and Kiranavali for their excellent vocals in Lakshmi Prabhavam; especially Kiranavali's ringing voice with clear pronunciation added a charm to the orchestral group..."- The Hindu
  • "... Kiranavali took efforts to reveal the subtle aspects of music in an effective way... she featured some rare classic pieces..." -Indian Express
  • "... Her concert revealed the depth of her knowledge and her tireless efforts towards perfection. Her musical maturity at such a young age fills one with a sense of awe..." -Dinatanti
  • "... The vocal recital of Kiranavali featured by Bharat Kalachar was an impressive demonstration of the strength of her training in classical music..."- The Hindu
  • "... The vocal duo of 15-year old Shashikiran and 12-year old Kiranavali gave real meaning to the 'super talent' claim of the campaigners, by stealing the hearts of listeners including the conservative ones aflame with the traditional vitality and passion of their performance... Kiranavali looked charmingly innocent but sang a spectacular akaara passage in the course of her forays into Shanmukhapriya and won both affection and applause..."- The Hindu

From Chitravina concerts:

  • "... A painter-musician, the tone-colour, the depth and dimension, shades and sparkles come so natural to Kiranavali. The gayaki style was predominant throughout. One perceived her playing for self-enjoyment, self-fulfilment..."- Shanmukha
  • "... Kiranavali stole the hearts of rasikas with her faultless rendering of kritis. The blend of tradition and laya in her kritis and swaras, and the sparkle in her raga alapanas played with elegance and artistry mark her out as an artiste who has a great future..."- Indian Express
  • "... In their concert at the Music Academy, Kiranavali who provided Chitravina accompaniment to Ravikiran proclaimed her competence ... there was nobility in every one of her phrasings in alapana, neraval and swaras..."- The Hindu

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3309 Clairemont Dr. # 4 San Diego Ca 92117.
( 619 275 2150 (Home); 619 347 4196 (Cell)
Email:kiranvali@hotmail.com