Vijay Natesan
Mridangam
Vijay Natesan is a highly talented and dynamic mridangam artist among the youth brigade of Carnatic Music. Starting his initial training under Guru Shri. T.S.Nandakumar – a veteran teacher who has trained several students in the art of playing mridangam in Mumbai and abroad, Vijay showed very early signs of his talent and started performing at the age of seven, easily merging into the percussion ensembles led by his guru.
At present he is receiving advanced instruction from mridangam maestro Padmabhushan Sangita Kalanidhi Shri.T.V Gopalakrishnan.
Vijay has accompanied veteran artists such as TN Krishnan, TV Gopalakrishnan, T.N Seshagopalan, O.S Thyagarajan, G.S Mani, Sudha Raghunathan, Aruna Sairam, T.V. Sankaranarayanan, Kadri Gopalnath, Ganesh-Kumaresh. Vijay is also a much wanted accompanist for the GenNext artists like Abhishek Raghuram, Palghat Ramaprasad, Saketharaman, Ramakrishna murthy, Flute Jayanth to name few.
In 2019, he received the Top Grade from the All India Radio and is among the youngest mridangists to receive this distinction. He was invited to perform a percussion ensemble at the AIR Sangeet Sammelan in the same year. He is also the recipient of a fellowship granted by the Ministry of Culture, India to pursue research in field of mridangam.
Vijay has performed across the country extensively in both Carnatic Sabhas and Music Festivals. Vijay has travelled internationally to countries namely USA, UK, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Malaysia and Singapore.
Some of the notable performances /festivals in the recent past :
- Performed for the Honourable President of India Shri. Ram Nath Kovind at Daman along with Vid. Flute Jayanth.
- Performed Laya Vinyasam for the Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan,2019 held in Trivandum.
- Performed with Vid.Kadri Gopalnath in the Le Guess Who Festival in Utrecht, The Netherlands in November 2018
- Concert tour to Luxembourg, Belgium, and Spain with Vidwan. Ambi Subramanian in the month of June, 2018, organized by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR).
- 66th Doverlane Music Conference, 2018, Kolkata – Jugalbandhi concert with Vid. Kadri Gopalnath & Pt. Ronu Mazumdar
- Swathi Sangeethotsavam, Trivandrum in the years 2018 and 2020 – Accompanied Guruji T.V Gopalakrishnan
- Kesarbai Kelkar Sangeeth Samaroh, Goa – Jugalbandhi concert with Pandit Yogesh Samsi
- Chaturang Prathisthan Music Festival, Pune – Jugalbandhi concert with Vid. Kadri Gopalnath & Pt. Ronu Mazumdar
- Spic Macay Music Convention in Bengaluru – Accompanied Vidwan. Lalgudi G.J.R Krishnan
- Performed at the Tamil Nadu Governor’s Bungalow on the occasion of Pongal, 2018
Vijay was seen in a TV serial featuring tabla Ustad Zakir Hussain and singer Shankar Mahadevan, and has provided percussion support in the HMV Saregama instrumental album Silver Lining. He has collaborated with Tabla virtuoso Aditya Kalyanpur on several occasions of which the one that needs mention is the jugalbandhi performed for Durga Jasraj ji’s Idea Star Jalsa. He also played a part in a three-volume audio-cassette series Jewels of Rhythm, which his Guru Shri.Nandakumar produced.
Vijay has been awarded the Kanchi Kamakshi Asthana Vidwan title by the Kanchipuram Mutt and he considers this as the greatest blessing in his life.
Though steeped in tradition, Vijay Natesan, like many of his generation, has eclectic tastes in music—counting Hindustani, ghazals, bhajans and jazz among his favourite listening.