Chennai, March 17 (IANS): Magsassay Award winner and noted vocalist T. M. Krishna has been selected for the Sangita Kalanidhi award of The Music Academy for 2024. The Nritya Kalanidhi award for year goes to noted Mohiniyattam exponent, Dr Neena Prasad.

When the award was announced, Krishna was performing with his wife Sangeetha and students, at the memorial of Saint Thyagaraja at Thiruvaiyaru.

The Executive Committee of The Music Academy, during a meeting on March 17, decided to give him the award.

The Music Academy, in a statement on Sunday, said: “He has been a top-ranking and an extremely talented musician for a long time and truly deserves the award for sheer excellence in music.”

The Academy said: "Known for his powerful voice and his adherence to tradition when it comes to the art, he has experimented widely with its format. He has also worked towards expanding the listener base of the art by taking it to varied social settings and focusing on its exploratory as opposed to tightly defined structures. He has used music as a tool for social reform.”

Krishna, while speaking to media persons, said that he was overwhelmed and added that it is a very special moment in his life. He further said: “It is also humbling because the recipients of the awards include my teacher Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, T. Brinda, and M.S. Subbulakshmi who you admire and look up to for inspiration.”

Krishna, a student of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, also said that Sangita Kalanidhi is, without doubt, a very important award in the world of Carnatic music.

The noted vocalist had learnt music from Sangita Kala Acharyas Bhagavatula Seetharama Sarma and Chengalpet Ranganathan before coming under the tutelage of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer.

The Nritya Kalanidhi award for 2024 will be presented to Dr Neena Prasad.

She is trained in Mohiniyattam by Kalamandalam Kshemavathy and Kalamandalam Sugandhi. She learnt Bharata Natyam from Sangita Kala Acharya Adyar K. Lakshmanan, Kuchipudi from Vempati Chinna Satyam, and Kathakali from Vembayam Appukuttan Pillai

Dr Prasad obtained her Ph D from Rabindra Bharathi University for her research on ‘Lasya and Thandava’ in south Indian classical dances.

She was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship by University of Surrey.

The Sangita Kalanidhi awardee will preside over the academic sessions of the 98th Annual Conference and Concerts of The Music Academy to be held between December 15, 2024 and January 1, 2025, and will receive his award on January 1, 2025.

The Nritya Kalanidhi awardee will receive her award on January 3, 2025