The Times Thyagaraja Award
This campaign, currently in its 13th year, was launched in 2012 to
recognise and honour the most talented amateur Carnatic singer during
the Marghazhi music season. This campaign has grown every year with
hundreds of nominations from sabhas, celebrity concerts, the
involvement of big venues such as the Music Academy and Carnatic music
legends like L. Subramaniam, Sudha Ragunathan, Aruna Sairam, Ranjani-
Gayathri, and the late Balamuralikrishna.
The 13th Edition of The Times Thyagaraja Award
The 13th edition of this popular talent hunt was kickstarted on 9
December 2023 by noted Haritha exponent Vishakha Hari along with S
Swarathmika and Anugrah Lakshmanan, the winner and second-runner-up of
the last season respectively.
The best candidates were shortlisted by an expert panel of judges and
have been a part of the auditions scheduled between December 19 to
December 23 at Muthamizh Peravai, T N Rajarathinam Kalai Arangam, R A
Puram. The 5-day live auditions saw some amazing performances by
Nithyasree Mahadevan, Ambi Subramanium, S Sowmya, O S Arun, and
Shobana Vignesh. The top talent is all set to battle for the title at
the grand finale that will be held on 20 January 2024 at the Music
Academy. The winners not only win gold prizes worth more than ₹2 lakh
but also get an opportunity to perform with legends at the Music Academy.
The grand finale will see live performances by Padma Bhushan Awardee
Sudha Ragunathan and Padma Shri Awardee Shubha Mudgal along with their
accompanying artists.
The 13th Times Thyagaraja Awards are presented by Federal Bank,
powered by Casagrand and Hatsun Curd, in collaboration with SSVM
Institutions, TNPL, Gopuram Turmeric Powder and Kumkum, and Indian Oil
Corporation and supported by Tamil Matrimony. The goodwill partner is
Gokul Santol and the traditions partner is Mambalam Iyers.
Conclusion
The children and youth of today need to be aware of every form of
music, including Carnatic music and there can be no better platform
than the Times Thyagaraja talent hunt for the youth to showcase their
talent in Carnatic music. Federal Bank has partnered with a lot of
events that promote noble causes, one of which is the Times Thyagaraja
Talent Hunt. This partnership not only helps in identifying talented
singers but also helps promote and preserve the traditional music of
India. Learn more about the various activities conducted by Federal
Bank on its Blog.