People

A.R. RAHMAN

A composer, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist par excellence, A.R. Rahman is credited with redefining contemporary Indian music by seamlessly blending Eastern classical, electronic, world, and symphonic arrangements. His music traverses different musical styles, traditions, and genres from Bollywood and Kollywood to Hollywood, and musical theatre to symphony orchestra. In 2009, Time Magazine listed him as one of the 100 most influential people, and he has been conferred with honorary doctorates from both national and international bastions of learning such as Aligarh University (India), Middlesex University (UK), Berklee College of Music (USA), Miami University (USA), and last but not the least, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (UK).

Empowered by his success and status, Rahman contributes to many philanthropic organisations. In 2001 he created the A.R. Rahman Foundation to help impoverished and underprivileged children, and in 2008, Dr. Rahman established the KM Music Conservatory in Chennai, to further his dreams of nurturing a new generation of music enthusiasts with world class higher education in the Hindusthani and Western Classical traditions. For his work across film industries, Dr. Rahman has been awarded with some of the most prestigious honours in the world including 2 Academy Awards, 2 Grammys, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA and in India with 6 National Film Awards, 32 Filmfare Awards across Hindi, Tamil and Telegu languages, and 14 Indian International Film Awards (IIFA) in various categories including background score and soundtrack. The Government of India bestowed him with the second and third highest civilian honours-the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan in 2009 and 2010 respectively.

His extensive body of work has earned him the affectionate title of “The Mozart of Madras”. Rahman has collaborated with many international artists including Michael Jackson, MIA, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Vanessa Mae, the Pussycat Dolls, Sarah Brightman, Dido, Michael Bolton, KT Tunstall, and Akon. As a humanitarian philanthropist, Dr. Rahman served as the UN Ambassador for the 2015 Millennium Development Goals. He has released many songs to fundraise for projects such as the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, and The Banyan project for poor women in Chennai.

More recently, in 2021, Dr. Rahman’s maiden production venture 99 Songs premiered at the 24 th Busan International Film Festival and the film was released in Tamil, Telegu, and Hindi languages with all original soundtrack and background score being composed by the Maestro himself. Also in 2021, he united with the legendary poet and lyricist, Gulzar, for the soul-stirring song ‘Meri Pukar Suno', under the label of Sony Music India, bringing together a host of celebrated singers and artists.

In 2022, Dr. Rahman completed 30 years of his collaboration with the master filmmaker Mani Ratnam with the release of the epic drama Ponniyan Selvan I.

Trained in the Hindustani Classical music by Pt Krishnanandji of the Kirana Gharana, Ms Rafiq took to music by composing like her father, the renowned Mr. R.K Shekhar. Having produced a number of voiceovers, commercials and jingles, Fathima also showcased her music for television productions, using her diverse repertoire as a singer, composer and characteristically well defined lyricist. A Graduate in Arts from the highly reputed SIET, Fathima has also sung as a member of the celebrated Handel Manuel Choir.

As Executive Director of the KM Music Conservatory and in her role as manager of AM Studios, Fathima continues to combine her musical   experience with a visionary zeal to fulfill the aspirations of her brother Dr. A.R. Rahman, the founder and principal of KMMC.

Vijayalakshmi has extensive experience in the handling of accounts, having worked as an Accountant for nine years in a private concern before joining the KM Music Conservatory. She also spent three years working as a Student Counsellor at the Networking Institute, Sans Bound Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

With a Master’s degree in Public Affairs from the University of Madras and a BSC in Zoology from the reputed SIET, Vijayalakshmi brings a wealth of experience to her role as Front Office Manager and Manager of Accounts at KM Music Conservatory. She has been at the institute since 2009.

Ms Jyoti Nair Belliappa is highly qualified in education and music alike, having studied Psychology, Hindustani Classical Music and English Literature. She graduated with Honours in English Literature from the Government College for Women in Amritsar. Jyoti was also awarded a National Scholarship for post-graduate studies, where she completed her Masters Degree in English Literature at the Punjab University in Chandigarh and finally an M. Phil and PhD in English Literature at Madras University in Chennai. She has also completed a postgraduate course in Teaching of English, from the Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages in Hyderabad.

Prior to joining the KM Music Conservatory, Jyoti served in the public sector as a Personnel Officer in the Rural Electrification Corporation. As a member of the Tamil Nadu Education Service, she also worked as a Professor of English in Queen Mary’s College and Presidency College, Madras. In addition, she worked as a warden for the 200-strong women’s wing of the Presidency Women’s Hostel. Among her extensive involvement in community endeavours, Jyoti has been a lifelong member of the Joint Action Council of Women and is a founder member and Joint Secretary of Amir Khusro Sangeet Academy, a non-profit registered organization that promotes Hindustani classical music in the South of India.

Jyoti has always loved and been heavily involved in musical activities. As a child she attended youth music festivals and was awarded a silver medal for being the best singer of the year in her teens. Later, whilst studying Hindustani classical voice, she came under the tutelage of Pt. Krishna Nand of the Kirana Gharana and Smt Meera Savoor of the Agra Gharana. She went on to study under Munna Shaukat Ali for Sufi Qawwali and raised money for public performances for Roof for the Roofless and the Association of British Council Scholars. Jyoti has performed herself at many venues, including The Music Academy, Rasika Ranjini Sabha, Hamsadhwani, Bharat Kalachar, Nayaki, Nungambakkam Culturals, the Kartick Fine Arts Society, IWA (International Womens’ Association), the Chennai Sangamam and at the Apparao Art Gallery in Nungumbakkam. In 2022, Jyoti has been credited as a lyricist for the song ‘Jalwanuma’ in the Hindi film ‘Heropanti 2’, whose music has been composed by none other than Dr. A.R. Rahman.

In her spare time, Jyoti is a regular contributor of articles for The Hindu and Culturama magazine. At KM Music Conservatory, Jyoti is responsible for the Preparatory programmes and she also has a range of responsibilities for pastoral care, press relations and outreach work. She has been here since the inception of the institute in 2008.

A graduate in mechanical engineering and postgraduate in business administration, Syed Irshad Ahmed started his career by gaining over a decade of experience in the field of sales and marketing. His performance and dedication won him accolades from employers and clients alike, in India and overseas.

After this, Irshad went on to take up roles in recruitment, customer relationship management and general administration, over a six-year period. Before joining KM Music Conservatory, Irshad worked at the Great Lakes Institute of Management as manager in charge of all back office administrative support for the Executive MBA programme. Irshad is also a strong believer in lifelong learning and he has pursued an active interest in Western classical music since childhood.

At KMMC, Irshad is responsible not only for providing administrative support to the Foundation and Diploma programmes affiliated to the Middlesex University, UK, but also to the institution as a whole. He has been here since March, 2011.

Born and brought up in Kolkata, Surangama started her career in academics, as an Assistant Professor of Sociology wherein she was one of the youngest departmental heads in West Bengal at Jhargram Raj College and Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Government College respectively. In Chennai, she has taught at Stella Maris College, a premier women’s institution in the country. She has also written for national newspapers like The Hindustan Times, Deccan Herald, Daily Excelsior, the Mumbai Free Press Journal, and The Statesman, as well as online media like The Quint. She has been associated with an online crowd-funded platform as a peer-to-peer editor.

Surangama completed her bachelor’s with a First Class in Sociology from the prestigious Presidency College in Kolkata. She is a double master’s--with a First Class in Sociology from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, and a Distinction in Media and Communications from Goldsmiths College, University of London. She also received a Junior Research Fellowship from the University Grants Commission in 2012.

Surangama has been published academically, both nationally and internationally. She has presented papers at the 36th All India Sociological Conference in 2010 and at the Second Annual Centre for Culture and Cultural Studies (CCCS) Conference in 2014 in Skopje, Macedonia. Her short stories have been published in The Statesman Festival Number, and the online platform The India Review respectively.

At KM, she is in charge of digital media and handles admissions across programmes.

Originally from Fife in Scotland, Adam completed his undergraduate and postgraduate studies at Lancaster University in England, where he received a BMus (Hons) and a Master's degree in Music with Distinction, before completing a doctoral thesis on the music of French composer Germaine Tailleferre.

At KM Music Conservatory, Adam has been a full-time faculty in piano and Academic Coordinator since 2011, responsible for oversight of the curriculum design and faculty. He is also responsible for international and industry projects and during the past decade has coordinated projects with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra; the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland; Queensland University of Technology; Berklee College of Music; ROLI; Apple; Google and Nokia. He serves as the institutional link tutor for the collaborative validation with Middlesex University, London, which allows for Indian students to complete their Bachelor’s degree at the UK campus, and has represented the institution in many shows, including the YouTube Originals ARRived series, Facebook’s ARs Super 8s, The Creative Indians Season 4 episode on KM Music Conservatory, in the Times of India online interview Mission Admission (2020) and alongside DR A. R. Rahman. Since 2019 Adam has been coordinating with the AR Rahman Foundation with regard to the continuing musical projects with Nagaland, including the signing of an MoU between KMMC and Nagaland to support further cross-supportive musical activities.

As an active performer and musicologist Adam's research involves combining modes of analytical enquiry with experience from practice, to better understand interpretation and artistic transmission. In solo piano performance, he holds the Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music, London. He specialises in performing early 20th Century French repertoire, particularly that which surrounds the 'Les six' composers, and has performed as a soloist and accompanist at several international concerts and conferences, including the Royal Music Association Symposium Nostalgia and Innovation in Twentieth-Century French Music. He has also had the privilege of performing three piano concertos, most recently with the Australian World Orchestra during their 2018 India tour, and also Francis Poulenc’s Piano Concerto No.1, and Germaine Tailleferre’s Concerto pour piano et 12 instruments with the Lancaster University Symphony Orchestra. Adam's secondary area of performance is contemporary electro-acoustic music and he has performed both existing repertoires and premieres at the International Computer Music Conference in Belfast and the LICA-Mantis Festival in Lancaster (2008).

As a director, Adam's work includes Sempre Libera from 'Sound Unbound', a 45-minute musical that was premiered in Chennai in 2016 and later shown at NH7 Pune. The original video KMMC x ROLIwood Tribute launched on YouTube and was subsequently performed live at Founders Forum, London (2016), and later for Apple in Mumbai and Google in Delhi (2018).

As a researcher, Adam has presented at All About Music (Mumbai, 2019); IndiEarth Xchange (Chennai, 2015-19), ISME Symposiums (Bangalore & Delhi, 2015-16) Cambridge University, King's College London, and the International Conference on Music Since the 1900s, held at Keele University. He was a co-author of the New Delhi Statement on Music Education and Engagement by the International Society for Music Education (2016). His published work includes contributions as a Research Assistant to Professor Mawer’s articles in the Journal of the Royal Music Association and the Journal of Twentieth-Century Music, and typeset musical examples for her book, Ravel Studies, published by Cambridge University Press in 2010.

Adam has also appeared as a lead in the 2016 Tamil rom-com film Mapla Singam, and can frequently be seen around Chennai performing with the band Black Market Cabaret.

A doctorate in music composition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with a dissertation on the music of the contemporary Italian composer Salvatore Sciarrino, composer, performer, educator, and concert organizer Jimmy Bunch has been teaching composition at the KM Music Conservatory in Chennai, India for about 8 years. He is also in charge of the Diploma programme at KM.

As a composer, Jimmy is drawn not only toward the experimental traditions in American and European music, but also to their literary/canonic traditions, and those outside of the Western world.

Among his activities at KM, he is particularly excited about KMMC’s contemporary music scratch orchestra, Hundredfoot Road--a collective of student and faculty performers/composers that focuses on a variety of experimental and DIY projects including electroacoustic works, theatre pieces, live film scores, improvisation, and score-based performances in an array of styles. The orchestra has performed works by KM students, as well as given the Indian premiers of music by Phillip Glass, John Cage, Olivier Messiaen, Julius Eastman, Eric Dolphy, Allen Ginsburg, and Cornelius Cardew.

During the lockdowns of 2020, Jimmy collaborated with percussionist Jane Boxall to create a series of short works for text, household objects, and percussion called How to [almost] start a revolution, which was premiered in daily segments on YouTube. He helped coordinate [and created pieces for] the 2017 and 2019 South Asian Music Residency, a collaboration with the Goethe Institute that brought musicians from India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Iran, and Germany to Chennai for a three-week experimental improvisation workshop and concerts. He has also recently had the opportunity to coordinate and write for an album of songs with composers from KM and lyricist/musicians from the region Centre-Val de Loire in France. This project culminated in a tour of the region in 2019. Later that year, Jimmy created a series of sound installations Ex/Inter/Change [installed at YM studios for an Indie Earth Exchange conference, co-hosted by KMMC and Queensland University of Technology]. He has also written music for the Ensemble Paramirabo, the Ogni Suono Saxophone Duo, the Hi Def Saxophone Quartet, the University of Illinois Modern Ensemble, the UISO, violinist Miranda Cuckson, pianist Rob Conway, saxophonist Phil Pierick. Forthcoming projects with HFR, the violinist Karen Bentley Pollick, and trombonist Lisa Sarasini. He has participated in residencies and workshops at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, and Montreal Contemporary Music Lab.

Jimmy’s music has been performed throughout North and South America, Asia, and Europe.

Anupam Roy was born and brought up in Kolkata, India, and enrolled at the Calcutta School of Music at a very young age, where he learnt the violin and music theory. In 1998 he started learning under the tutelage of Abraham Mazumder, one of the foremost violinists in the city. Under his able guidance, Anupam completed Grade 8 in Violin with a distinction and Grade 8 in Music Theory from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM), London, and went on to complete the Diploma in Violin Performance, also from the ABRSM.

In 2007, Anupam was selected as one of three young musicians from India to take part in the first-ever International Fusion Arts Exchange Programme in Music, with a five-week residency at the Northeastern University, Boston, USA, and consisting of lectures, workshops, cultural trips, and other such activities in Boston, New York, Tanglewood and Washington D. C. Other participants for this programme came from Brazil, Ireland, South Africa, Mali, and the USA. The initiative was funded by the US Department of State, which subsequently invited the entire ensemble to perform at a concert in 2008 at the UNESCO, Paris, attended by the ambassadors of the participating countries.

Also in 2007, Anupam got an offer to pursue a second Bachelors degree in Music at The Queen’s College, University of Oxford, UK. Following Oxford, he completed his postgraduate studies in Historical Musicology from Goldsmiths College, University of London. Amongst his memorable experiences in the UK, Anupam played in a rare concert performance of Schubert’s only opera Fierrabras, and also played First Violin in three concerts under the direction of the legendary classical music conductor, the Late Sir Neville Marriner.

Since 2015, Anupam has been a faculty in violin at the KM Music Conservatory. In 2020 he became the Programme Leader for the Foundation Certificate in Music, a one-year full-time course accredited by Middlesex University, UK. During his time here, apart from his teaching engagements, Anupam has been involved in several film music projects of Dr. A. R. Rahman, having conducted the Sunshine Orchestra, an outreach project of the A. R. Rahman Foundation, in live concerts in Chennai, New Delhi, and Dhaka, as well as for films like Cobra, 99 Songs, Sarkar, and Mani Ratnam’s Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, among others. He has also been associated with the Sunshine Orchestra as a regular mentor during his early years at KM.

Lavania Kumar is a Chennai-based classical piano teacher. She has completed all major qualifications from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, and from the Trinity College of Music London.

She was awarded the Exhibition Award and Hanon Clarke Award from the Trinity College of Music London for gaining the highest distinction mark in the Grade 8 Piano Practical Examination. She later studied Piano Performance, initially with Concert Pianist David Quigley from the Birmingham Conservatoire UK, and later for seven years with Concert Pianist, Professor Boris Kraljevic, Faculty member of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) Singapore. She moved to Chennai in 2017

It was under the tutelage of Mr. Kraljevic that she obtained the prestigious Fellowship Diploma (FRSM) in Piano Performance from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. She also holds the Licentiate Diploma (LTCL) in Piano Performance from the Trinity College of Music, and the Licentiate Teaching Diploma (LLCM) from the London College of Music.

Lavania has a special interest in working with children. From 2000 until 2004 she trained and worked as a music teacher at The Forte School of Music in Cardiff UK. The Forte teaching method put the emphasis firmly on fun and was designed to build confidence at the same time as teaching music skills to children as young as 3 years. Some of the teaching methods used in the course included the Orff-Schulwerk approach and the Kodaly, Suzuki and Dalcroze method of teaching.

She now works as full-time faculty at KM Music Conservatoire, Chennai.

Guitarist & composer Matt Bacon has served as the head guitar faculty at KM Music Conservatory since 2015. He plays classical, Spanish, acoustic, electric, bass & 12-string guitar and is the founder of Chennai GTR Fest, which he launched in 2020 performing the Indian premiere of Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez” with the Sunshine Orchestra. He is endorsed by ProCraft India & Kepma Guitars and records for G2 Publishing, a subsidiary of Silent Beat Records based in Germany.

Top Prize winner at the Texas National Music Festival’s guitar competition, Matt has cultivated a diverse career ranging from teaching guitar, lecturing on musicianship, recording for Bollywood films, composing original music & arranging ragas for Western notation. Matt has travelled extensively through India & Asia, often as a performer and judge for music competitions. This included a stop in Thailand to play for the royal family, as well as the Bangalore International Guitar Festival, Instituto Cervantes, Taj Palace, Calcutta Classical Guitar Festival & Thai Isai Fest. Notably, he has recorded for AR Rahman & Anirudh for films “24,” “Atrangi Re,” and “Kolamavu Kokila,” among others.

As a composer, Matt has been commissioned by the San Antonio Guitar Foundation, with his pieces “Homenaje a Jimmy Page” and “Mystery & Elegy” debuted in the USA by GFA prizewinners Chad Ibison, TY Zheng, and others in July 2022. Working with violinist Radhika Iyer, Matt’s arrangements of 12 raga-based etudes were published by Mel Bay in 2018 under the title “Elements of Indian Music, vol 1.”

Many of these compositions & arrangements are streaming on Spotify & Amazon, where Matt is one of the few guitarists to simultaneously trend in both classical & jazz Editorial Playlists totaling 500,000 streams - led by his 2021 release “Major Fifth.” Matt graduated with Dean’s List, merit scholarships, and career development grants from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University & the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Matt had the privilege of studying music with Ernesto Tamayo, Julian Gray & David Tanenbaum – direct descendants of legendary guitarists Andres Segovia & Leo Brouwer. As a teenager, he has competed or performed in masterclasses for Manuel Barrueco, Eliot Fisk, Kazuhito Yamashita, Shin-ichi Fukuda, Sergio Assad, Marc Teicholz, Scott Tennant, Bill Kanengiser, Martha Masters, Valerie Hartzell, Marcin Dylla, Marco Tamayo & Sharon Isbin of the Julliard School.

Gerardo Sanchez Lara studied piano and music at the Popular School of Fine Arts and at the Conservatorio de las Rosas in Mexico, where he obtained a High Diploma of Music, a Bachelor's in Music, and a Senior degree in Piano Performance "Summa cum Laude". His teachers were Eduardo Montes, Olga Chkourak, Gellya Dubrova and Cuauhtémoc Trejo Ortiz. He took advanced courses at the National Center of Arts in Mexico City with Arturo Uruchurtu and in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, with Antonio Iglesias and Manuel Carra.

Gerardo has received multiple scholarships from the State Fund for Culture and the Arts in Michoacán, the National Endowment for the Arts in Mexico, and from the Music Foundation in Compostela. He has appeared as a soloist with diverse orchestras in Mexico and in the USA, as well as a solo performer in festivals of classical and contemporary music in North and Central America and in Asia.

From 2005 to 2014, Gerardo was a professor of piano, history, and pedagogy at the Conservatorio de las Rosas in Mexico, where he also served as academic coordinator and artistic director. In 2017, he was a resident piano teacher and pianist at the BHUTAN KILU MUSIC SCHOOL in Timbu, Kingdom of Bhutan. Currently, he works as a full-time piano professor at the KM Music Conservatory in Chennai, India.

Liliana Shaikhi (born in 1972, Turkmenistan) is a Russian singer (soprano). In 1995 she graduated from the Academy of Arts in Ufa acquiring two specialties: piano and the art of singing. From 1995 to 2008 she was a solo performer at the Bashkir State Theatre of Opera and Ballet. In the year 2003 she took part in the Vincenzo Bellini International Contest of classical singers (Ragusa, Italy) winning the prize for the highest performing quality. From 2003 to 2005 she sharpened her skills training at the Opera Center of Galina Vishnevskaya (Moscow).

Her impressive repertoire includes the opera parts of Musetta (“Bohemia”), Mimi (“Bohemia”), Iolanta (“Iolanta”), Tatyana (“Eugene Onegin”), Marguerite (“Faust”), Micaëla (“Carmen”), Donna Elvira (“Don Juan”), Silva (“Silva”), Aida (“Aida”).

Liliana leads an active concert and chamber music life, her programmes including songs in Russian, Italian, German, English, Bashkir and Tatar languages. Liliana successfully combines her concert tours with educational activities, being in great demand as a voice training teacher. At KM, Liliana teaches western vocals in a full-time capacity.

A rare phenomenon in the world of music, Anantha started his musical journey on the mridangam, the principal drum of the Carnatic tradition. The grandson and disciple of the great mridangam maestro, Shri. Palghat R. Raghu, Anantha first learned the fundamentals of the mridangam under his uncle, Shri. R. Ramkumar and then began an official tutelage under his grandfather at the age of five. He performed his first concert at the age of seven and before the age of twenty performed alongside a rare generation of Indian classical musicians like Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Prof. T.N. Krishnan, Dr. KJ Yesudas, Mandolin Srinivas, among many others. During this period, he received numerous awards from traditional organizations of classical music in India. Most notably, he has won the categorical Best Mridangist Prize from the flagship institution for promoting classical Indian music, the Music Academy, Madras, five times. He was awarded the State of the Arts Award from the New Jersey government twice in 1997 and 1998 as part of the National Endowment of the Arts effort to promote cultural awareness in the U.S.A. He is also a special interest student of tabla under Ustad Zakir Hussain.
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In 1999, he was invited to perform for the Millennium celebrations in Berlin, Germany at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt and at the EXPO 2000 in Hanover. A year later, he performed at the historic Sadler's Wells Music Festival in London. In fall of 2006, at the invitation of Fred Frith, the British experimental guitarist he performed for the seminal New Jazz Meeting for SWR 2, a national radio station in Baden Baden. In October of 2007, he was invited by Rudresh Mahanthappa to perform with the group, Samdhi, at the Festival of the Firsts in Pittsburgh, PA. In July of 2011, he performed in a Carte Blanche Artist Series at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam with the same group and was the first mridangam artist to appear in Carnegie Hall’s ​Shape of Jazz​ series in NYC, all with the group Samdhi.
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In May of 2008, he was a featured soloist in the Grammy nominated, Miles from India tour, which premiered in Town Hall, NYC presenting the great Miles Davis's music with Indian instrumentation featuring jazz legends: Ron Carter, Dave Liebman Lenny White, Ndugu Chancler, and Pete Cosey.

In November 2014, he was invited to perform at the opening ceremony music for International Film Festival (IFFI)l in Goa and the closing ceremony of the National Games 2015 in Trivandrum with the actor danseuse Padmashri Shobana. In 2016 Spring, he was invited to perform with Ustad Zakir Hussain and the Masters of Percussion (MOP) throughout the United States and Europe. In 2018, MOP ensemble performed in Kathmandu to commemorate seventy-year India- Nepal diplomatic relations. In May of 2018, Anantha performed with Kammern Ensemble- neue Musik for the prestigious Berliner Festspiele, MaerzMusik edition for the premiere of Memory Space by Alvin Lucier.

Anantha holds a B.A. in Western Music and Philosophy from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, and a Masters of Fine Arts in Electronic Music and Percussion from Mills College, California. He appears on Intakt Records, Echo Music, and ACT Records. He currently​ serves as faculty of percussion at A.R. Rahman's KM Music Conservatory in Chennai, India.

Humble Shine is a Carnatic and Hindustani vocal performer, ghazal singer, and voice trainer active since 1997. He is currently working towards a Ph.D. degree in ‘Experimental Vocological Training’ at the Sree Sankaracharya University, Kalady, where he has also completed his MPhil in the ‘Need of Vocological Training’. He completed his B.A and M.A in Indian Music from the Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam.

He was selected for the Rotary Club Award and Parat Narayana Menon Endowment for securing the highest mark in MA Music 2004. In 2022, the Tamil Nadu Urdu Literary Association awarded Humble the title of "Ghazal Nawaz" as the best ghazal singer 2022.

Humble has founded the ‘Sursagar Foundation’ in Kottayam to mentor students in Hindustani classical music. He performs regularly across various musical genres in India and abroad and has also participated in and presented papers in national seminars on Indian classical music. At KM, Humble trains students in Hindusthani music in both full-time and part-time capacities.

As a young man, Munna Shaokath Ali studied Hindustani classical music under the Gurukul tradition and was trained by Mohammed Abdul Baki for over 15 years in the Agra Gharana Gayaki of Faiyyaz Khan fame. At the tender age of seven, Munnaji started to give performances and came to be affectionately known as the ‘Munna Qawwal’. He chose to specialise in the genre of Qawwali, which was perfected by Shankar Shamboo, the celebrated Sama Qawwals at Hazrat Moinnuddeen Chishti, Ajmer. While he had rigorous training in this medium, he also had extensive lessons in Urdu and Arabic. This stood him in good stead and he emerged as a poet and lyricist of note, having written the soul-stirring “Piya Haji Ali” for the Bollywood Film ‘Fiza’ and “Zikr Ahle Talab A Jao Zikr Mein” for ‘Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero’, both under the direction of A. R. Rahman.

Munnaji went on to establish the Bharat Qawwali Sangam in Bangalore and trained many students in Indian classical music. During this time, he gave over 2,000 sama performances at various dargaahs all over India. He also performed at the palace of Nawab Safdarjung in Hyderabad for the Mysore Maharaja, and in the presence of the former Prime Minister of India, Smt. Indira Gandhi, at Nagpur.

Today, Munnaji is President and a founding member of Amir Khusro Sangeet Academy, a non-profit trust that promotes Hindustani classical music in South India.

A regular artiste with All India Radio Bangalore, he has recorded more than 100 cassettes in devotional music and trained some of the best-known play-back singers. His repertoire includes extensive raga delineations in the traditional Dhrut pieces and the light classical modes like the Ghazal. In recent years, Munnaji has penned the lyrics for the single ‘Farishton’ sung by Khatija Rahman in her debut single release and composed by her father, Maestro A.R. Rahman. Munnaji has also written lyrics for the celebrated UK-based singer Sami Yosuf who performed Munnaji’s Sufi number at the Expo2020 in Dubai. Munna Shaokath Ali has also been the lyricist for Mrs. Fathima Rafiq’s daughter, singer Amina Rafiq, and her son, composer A. H. Kashif. Over the years, Munnaji has composed several original Qawwali songs for the KM Music Conservatory, and trains the KM Sufi Ensemble that performs both nationally and overseas.

At KM, Munnaji teaches Harmonium on the Preparatory, Foundation, and Diploma courses.

Rajesh Dhavale was groomed into the art of playing the tabla by his grandfather Veerana Kamkar of Mehboob Khan Sahib Gharana, the recipient of the much-coveted Sangeet Ratna Award, Govt. of Karnataka. At the age of 13, Rajesh was awarded the CCRT National Scholarship to pursue further training in tabla. Later under the tutelage of Ustad Hidaayat Khan Sahib from Jahangir Khan Sahib Gharana, he received the ‘Vidvat’ in tabla from the Govt. of Karnataka. Rajesh is also a Bhigh grade artiste at All India Radio.

Rajesh has accompanied many renowned artistes on the tabla like Smt. Lakshmi Shankar in Vocal; The late Shri Vishveshwaran on the Santoor, Shri Janardhan on the Sitar, Sri M.S Gopalakrishnan on the Violin, and Sri T.V Gopala Krishnan in a vocal concert. In the last fifteen years, Rajesh has mentored numerous students in the tabla. The programme ‘Tal Bol and Laya’ at the Hamsadhwani was conceived and directed by him, featuring a solo performance and a jugalbandi with shehnai and the sitar.
Recently, he has performed with A. R. Rahman’s Sufi concerts at the UN Assembly in New York and in the Metro Center in Toronto, Canada.

Rajesh has a Vidvat which is equivalent to a Master of Arts (MA) degree in tabla and has recently completed 13 years as tabla faculty at KM Music Conservatory.

Our Russian Piano Studio is led by virtuosic pianist Surojeet Chatterji, who was the first Indian musician to be granted a full scholarship by the offices of the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, to study at the world famous Moscow Conservatory. He studied there for a further decade before graduating with the institution’s highest degree.

Mr. Chatterji had first begun his piano studies as a child in Allahabad, with his teacher, Naju Shapoorjee. His innate talent soon became apparent and he went on to receive the Licentiate from the Royal Schools of Music in London, having studied under Mr. Hosie Palamkote at the Delhi School of Music, before being selected to further his studies in Moscow.

Having completed his studies, Mr. Chatterji emigrated to the USA, where he taught successfully for 25 years. Notably, he was able to inspire underprivileged youths, who were typically the least exposed to Western classical music, and to make them proficient performers in very short periods of time.

In 2010, Mr. Chatterji took up the position as head of the new Russian Piano Studio at KM Music Conservatory, where his mission is to impart and share his accumulated wealth of experience from around the world and to inspire young people in his native country to become fully fledged classical musicians and virtuoso pianists. Under his able tutelage, several students at KM Music Conservatory have made the institution proud. Lydian Nadhaswaram was the first prize winner at the US International talent show, The World’s Best. He was awarded a million dollars, the record highest prize at any competition ever held. Jacob Samuel performed at Steve Harvey’s Little Big Shots in Los Angeles USA. Anirudh Baiju and Palak Chauhan won the platinum and the gold medal at the Appassionato International Youth Music Festival Quebec, and the Grand Maestro International Music Competition, Canada, respectively. Last but not the least, Ephraim Shalom Samuel won the 3rd prize at the Joyex International Music Competition in Singapore.

Niteen Dongare, a mature exponent of Russian Pianism as exemplified by his teacher, Dr. Surojeet Chatterji, comes through to his pupils as profoundly caring. Niteen attained the highest scores in piano in the ‘Associate Of Trinity College London’ Exams (ATCL) in 2018 for which he was honoured with the ‘Lady Papworth’s music Lyre’ award. He has proved his excellence through the many pupils he has trained over the years. Niteen is a truly humble persona with worthy attainments.

He has been a faculty of Russian Piano techniques at KM since 2016. Studying under his truly holistic approach undoubtedly brings rich dividends to students.

A passionate pianist, and a pupil of Surojeet Chatterji, Puneet is an assistant teacher in the Russian piano studio. He teaches with conviction and his thorough approach is reflected in the performances of the students who train under him.

Premkumar Sivaperuman brings a wealth of music technology experience with him.

After completing his Diploma in Audio Engineering at the renowned S.A.E. Technology College in Chennai, back in 2001, Premkumar went on to build a successful career as a professional audio technician, live production sound specialist and post-production engineer, as well as teaching all aspects of audio technology and gaining experience in academic administration.

Most recently he was Head of Department for Audio Engineering at S.A.E. Technology College for over eight years, where he was responsible for all faculty recruitment and training, quality assurance, examination control and assessments, student mentoring and course development within the department. He had previously worked at the College as an Audio Lecturer, teaching students about the theory and practical application of audio technologies.

Premkumar has also worked on a number of projects and films in the South Indian film and music industries. As a music director, his output includes the films Ee Bhoomi Aa Bhanu (Kannada, 2013), Neeye En Kathali (2010), and Saahtanai (2005). He has also composed and produced music for a number of commercial advertisements and radio jingles, for clients such as A.G. Eye Care Hospitals, Nandu Brand textiles and Techberry Mobiles.

Having joined KMMC in August 2013, Premkumar now oversees the work of our Music Technology department. He teaches on our part-time Audio Engineering and Electronic Music Production courses.

Ishan Rojindar is a Music Producer-Singer who has been working in the music industry playing different roles such as composer, programmer, arranger, lyricist, mix engineer, singer, performer and a session artist. After completing the Music Production programme in 2016, Ishan started working in the industry for arrangement and background scoring projects. He has composed and produced music for a diverse clientele including 2 artists signed with T-Series, background score of short films and Ad Jingles of various brands like DermaWorkout, Nexus Network solutions etc. In 2019 he released his first independent music and has been collaborating with a number of artists abroad and has been a regular producer for clients on online music collaborating platforms like Fiverr. He is also a performing artist and has shared the stage with Dr. A R Rahman, Javed Ali, Shivamani, Sana Moussa. Ishan has been handling the Music Production programme in KM Music Conservatory since 2021 and has been mentoring the students in their production journey in diverse genres like Pop, Rock, Hip-Hop, Lo-Fi, Orchestral, Film Music, Electronic Genres like Dubstep, House, Future Bass etc.

Alisha is an accomplished vocal coach, music educator, and choir director, known for her unwavering commitment to nurturing emerging talents. Holding a Master's degree in Music Performance, specializing in Western Classical singing from the University of Chichester, UK, and a distinguished voice graduate from the London College of Music, UWL, UK, she possesses expertise across voice studies, physiology, classical singing, and musical theatre. Alisha stands as one of the few individuals from India to hold the certification as a Vocal Health First Aider by Vocal Health Education, UK. She has also undergone extensive training in the Estill Model and holds a Level 1 Qualification with Modern Vocal Training.

Her dedication to professional development extends to her memberships with associations such as the National Association of Teachers of Singing and The International Society for Music Educators, where she actively contributes her expertise and research insights. A recent highlight includes presenting her research topics at both the NATS India Conference and the South Asian ISME Conference, underscoring her commitment to advancing the field of music education. Furthermore, Alisha has been conducting workshops and masterclasses on voice culture and choir training in collaboration with renowned organizations such as Jesus Youth International, 'All Go Rhythm' Gospel Festival, and The Indian Choral Ensemble. Alisha also serves as the curriculum director at Jingle Bells Music Education, a recipient of the ABRSM Play On Scholarship Fund, where she spearheads the
development of innovative music curricula grounded in Kodaly pedagogy for schools in Kerala.

In her singing career, Alisha has lent her voice to numerous notable Tamil and Malayalam music productions and movies, collaborating with esteemed industry professionals such as Kalyani Nair, Vidyasagar, Jerry Amaldev, and many more. Additionally, she is a member of The Indian Choral Ensemble, with whom she has performed on prestigious stages including Coke Studio Tamil season 2, Big Boss Tamil House, and Khelo India, where she performed in front of dignitaries including the Prime Minister.

Demonstrating her flair for musical theatre, Alisha recently led and directed a highly acclaimed musical production at KMMC in February 2024. This performance by the Preparatory Department featured around 65 members, including the cast, musicians, and volunteers, exemplifying her visionary leadership and dedication to fostering artistic excellence. Alisha's commitment to nurturing talent and fostering artistic growth underscores her role as an exemplary educator, dedicated to empowering her students and fostering a lifelong love for music.

N. G. Niranjan has been tutoring students for almost all Trinity and ABRSM related theory as well as practical curricula right up to the 8th grade for over 15 years now. He has worked as a music teacher at Don Bosco School of Excellence, Egmore, for 9 years, and composed the Don Bosco School Anthem. Niranjan has been a keyboard and guitar performer in leading light music bands for more than 18 years in Chennai and has performed shows around the world. He holds a Performers’ Certificate and has completed 8th grade in piano, 8th grade in theory of music, and 7th grade in classical guitar. He was awarded Cicely Goshen Shield for Highest Mark in grade 7. Currently, he is preparing for the Diploma (ATCL) examination in piano. At KM, he mentors students in the art of perfecting the piano.

Geetha joined KM Music Conservatory as a piano faculty in 2018. She is a student of Dr. Surojeet Chatterji, an alumnus of the world-renowned Moscow Conservatory. She has received the Associate and Licentiate of the Trinity College, London (ATCL & LTCL). Besides passed Grade 8 in music theory, her understanding of western classical vocals, rock and pop vocals and an extensive background in Carnatic music makes her an all-round teacher. With a very thorough, comprehensive teaching approach, Geetha is dedicated to imparting sound piano techniques and musicianship to her students.

Rachintan graduated with a Bachelors of Communications while studying Visharad in Hindustani Harmonium. After passing KM Music Conservatory’s Foundation course with a major in Piano, Rachintan has been teaching Preparatory Piano for the past few years at KM. Rachintan passed Grade 5 in Theory and Grade 6 in Piano from Trinity College of London. He has been playing keyboard for the last thirteen years. He also studied Gujarati Folk and rhythm from Saurastra Gujarat University. Recently, Rachintan participated in the creation of the Rhyme Skool album as a Composer, which was supervised by Dr. A.R.Rahman.

As a student at KM, Rachintan performed many times as a pianist in various performances at the school. Highlights include a performance for the US Consulate in Chennai honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi and as an accompanist for part of the “A.R. Rahman: Unplugged” Concert in Delhi, where Hindustani and Western Classical Choir pieces were performed. Currently, Rachintan is also trained in Jazz and Western Classical genres.

Tajmeel Sherif is a 2013 piano graduate of Trinity College London. Trained under his mentor Mr. Abdul Sattar, one of the most senior piano teachers in Chennai, Tajmeel is versatile in a wide variety of genres including western classical & modern film music. He is also a freelance composer, singer and an active Youtuber. Tajmeel has a gift and love for teaching, passing on his passion for music to his students, whether young or old, in a way that motivates them, and tailoring lessons to meet their needs and goals. Tajmeel has taught piano lessons for over 12 years to both children and adults. 

A prep faculty for piano as KM, Tajmeel also works as a Music Director in NEWS7TAMIL TV channel and can boast over 2 lakh listeners across Spotify and other musical apps for his unplugged version covers.

Joshva Santhosh is an excellent pianist and music producer from Trichy, Tamil Nadu. As an avid musician, Joshva has worked at various music institutes in Chennai and Bangalore, and he seamlessly merges business acumen with musical expertise. Joshva’s repertoire includes not only performance but also music production and orchestration. He has completed Grade 8 in piano from Trinity College London. Besides this, Joshva holds a Masters degree in Business Administration. His short stint in the corporate world enriches his approach to music education, making him a unique mentor at our college.

A passionate pianist and a student of Dr.Adam Greig, Dharun Annadurai is a piano tutor in the Preparatory department at KM Music Conservatory. He attained the highest scores in piano in his Diploma first year exam at KMMC in 2019 for which he was honoured by Dr.A.R.Rahman, he continued on to graduating with the Diploma in Higher Education: Music. He has been teaching at KMMC for 6 years now and mentors students in the art of perfecting technique and musicality in the piano.

Marisakthi has cultivated a distinguished musical career over 18 years, excelling as a composer, performer, music arranger, and educator. Initiating his musical journey at the age of 11, he delved into Carnatic classical training under the guidance of Mr. Sangaradas, a notable guru associated with Isaignani Ilaiyaraja. His early passion for the harmonium paved the way for a diverse musical odyssey that included performances at political events, wedding celebrations, and festivals. Founding the band "Phoenix" at the age of 14, He achieved a significant milestone by producing the first-ever music video album, a project endorsed and released by the renowned lyricist Kavingar Vairamuthu. This ground breaking work garnered widespread acclaim, with over 3500 DVDs sold across TamilNadu. Recognizing the importance of Western classical piano in his musical palette, he sought instruction from Dr. Surojeet Chatterji at Dr. A R Rahman's KM Music Conservatory in Chennai. This pursuit of excellence reflects his unwavering dedication to honing his craft and contributing significantly to the musical landscape.

Having accumulated six years of rigorous Western classical training in the Russian Piano Technique at KM Music College and Technology, Mariesakthi represented the country at seminars in both the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow, and Manhattan University, New York. He attained an Audio Engineering Diploma from KM College of Music and Technology under the mentorship of Mr. Premkumar, and has been engaged as a piano teacher in KMMC for seven years.

Marisakthi thrives as a freelance music producer, contributing his expertise to diverse projects encompassing indie productions, short films, movie background scores, and commercial advertisements such as Loreal, Skoda, Jeep, Citroën, Incredible India, Amazon, Orion, Royal challenges, and many. His extensive and varied portfolio and performances highlight the breadth and depth of Mari Sakthi’s musical impact.

Pianist and Sound Engineer Vibhor Grover is a B.Com Graduate from Delhi University having great managerial skills. Vibhor started his professional career in 2016 in Delhi, with his self-founded band, Amethyst. Learning from the age of 4, he started playing keyboard and continued to add other musical instruments to his repertoire. At Delhi School of Music, under the guidance of John Raphael, he got his much coveted degree completing Grade 8 from Trinity College of London. Inspired by artists such as Coldplay, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Arijit Singh, AR Rahman and many others, Vibhor is strongly influenced by the music community, the various cultures and sounds of India. He truly understands the power of sound and believes that learning must never stop.

Mr. A. Sigamani Dinakaran graduated from The Loyola College of Chennai. His passion towards music started early when he picked up the violin at the age of five. He learnt both Western and Carnatic music and passed Grade 8 from Trinity College London and a Diploma in Carnatic music from the Tamil Nadu Government Music College, as a disciple of Azhalagiri Samy and M.S. Ananthraman.

Much of Dinarkaran’s career has been spent working as a studio violinist for Dr. A. R. Rahman, since the days of the composer’s very first film, Roja. He has also performed with the Madras Chamber Orchestra under the baton of the French conductor, Bernard Wacheux and regularly plays in concerts with fusion groups across Chennai and elsewhere in India. He has worked with many celebrated musicians during his career.

Dinakaran has also been teaching the violin for many years, helping to nurture young talent in Chennai. At KM, Dinakaran is a faculty of violin on the Preparatory programmes.

Bhaskar Bharadwaj Bhuyan is a multi-instrumentalist, performer, composer, producer, and audio engineer hailing from North-East India. With a diverse skill set and over 12 years of experience, including teaching with different boards and age groups, he has left an indelible mark on the music and film industries. Having honed his craft at our very own KM Music Conservatory, where he majored in violin performance in 2010, Bhuyan's journey as a musician began to flourish. His expertise spans a wide range of genres, including Western classical, Indian classical, jazz, contemporary, and modern music, showcasing his versatility and adaptability across musical landscapes. Additionally, Bhuyan has furthered his education and skills by completing a diploma in teaching Western classical violin from the London College of Music, enhancing his pedagogical approach and deepening his understanding of the instrument. Beyond his prowess as a musician, Bhuyan's passion for teaching has led him to share his knowledge and experience with aspiring musicians. With over a decade of teaching experience under his belt, he has mentored countless students, instilling in them not only technical proficiency but also a deep appreciation for the art form. In addition to his roles as a educator, Bhuyan effortlessly navigates various instruments, enriching his compositions and performances with layers of depth and complexity. Bhuyan is highly sought after in the industry for his skills as a composer and producer. His compositions resonate with emotion and creativity, captivating audiences and critics alike. As a producer, he brings a unique blend of innovation and tradition, pushing boundaries while staying true to the essence of the music. Bhuyan's contributions to the music industry are multifaceted and profound. Whether he is captivating audiences with his performances, inspiring the next generation of musicians, or pushing the boundaries of musical expression through his compositions and productions, he continues to leave an enduring legacy in the art of music. As a faculty member of strings (violin), his presence at the college enriches the learning experience for students, offering them invaluable insights and guidance from his extensive expertise and passion for music.

Mahen Joshi is a fingerstyle guitarist and enthusiastic teacher. Born in Aurangabad, he learned under Pandit Gopalji Mishra. His passion for guitar brought him to Chennai where he trained in western classical under Matt Bacon, Rudra Dixit, and under Maneli Jamal in acoustic guitar.

At KM, Mahen teaches classical, acoustic, and contemporary styles of guitar performance. He has been gathering experience as an acoustic solo guitarist over the years.

Drums faculty Deepan formally completed Grade 8 of the Trinity College Level of Certification and has been involved in teaching privately for over 10 years. He has been associated with KM Music Conservatory for several years imparting formal education to its students in the genres of funk, freestyle, double pedal and the like. His drive for continuous improvement has also compelled him to formally pursue ATCL Diploma in drum kit.

Jaya is the Library Assistant for KM.

Thillai Anand joined KM in 2018. A graduate in Computer Application, Anand is currently pursuing his MBA alongside assisting in both administration and media at KM. A dynamic photographer, Anand is responsible for photo and video shoots for the various concerts, events, workshops and master classes that take place throughout the year. His portfolio includes working closely with both the accounting and digital media officers.

Karthik serves as Guest Relations Officer at KM Music Conservatory. A pass-out in Higher Secondary Education with a desire to meet people and educate himself further in the field of Public Relations. Karthik also has the additional responsibility of creating schedules for the Preparatory Programme so as to enable systemized delivery of teaching. His portfolio also enables him to direct inquiries to the correct member of the administrative or academic team. Karthik works towards the overall objective of the entire front-office management and is essential to maintaining the nerve centre of the institution. He has been at KM since 2013.