Jayanthi Kumaresh

Jayanthi Kumaresh (born 1969 ) is an Indian classical musician best known for her mastery of the Saraswati veena. Jayanthi holds a postgraduate degree in English literature and a doctorate from the University of Mysore for her analytical study of veena playing styles. She is the youngest veena player to receive an A-Top grading from All India Radio, the highest classification awarded to performing artists in India She received the Sangita Kalanidhi award for 2026

Her web series Cup O’ Carnatic (2016 – present) offers brief introductions to ragas and compositional forms and has received several million views. A stage version of the series, combining music, animation, and storytelling, was presented in Bengaluru (2024) and Chennai (2025).

Jayanthi received the Government of India’s Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2022 and the Sangeet Shikhar Samman from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, New Delhi, in 2019

Early life and education Jayanthi represents the sixth generation of a family of musicians. She began formal study at age three with her mother, Lalgudi Rajalakshmi. At thirteen she entered the Gurukul of her aunt, Vidushi Padmavathy Ananthagopalan, remaining there for twenty-two years, and conducts workshops and lecture demonstrations around the world. She has founded the Indian National Orchestra, an ensemble that brings together artists from Carnatic and Hindustani traditions. Her dissertation examines historical playing styles, references in classical treatises, and recent developments such as electronic Veenas. Portions of her research have been published in academic journals. She is married to Kumaresh Rajagopalan, the younger of the violinist duo Ganesh–Kumaresh. with the trio Triveni, alongside Hindustani violinist Kala Ramnath and tabla player Zakir Hussain. The trio had previously completed an 18-city North American tour in 2022. Critics have praised her live performances for their technical clarity and emotive power, noting for instance that "Jayanthi’s Saraswathi Veena mesmerises" at the Dehradun Concert.

Venues where Jayanthi was featured have included:

BBC Proms, London, UK Darbar Festival, London, UK Celtic Connections, Scotland Paris Festival of India, France San Francisco Jazz Festival, USA WOMADelaide, Australia & New Zealand Humboldt Forum Museum, Berlin, Germany Esplanade, Singapore Rikskonsertene, Norway Royal Festival Hall, London, UK Kennedy Center, Washington DC, USA Sydney Opera House The Grand Theatre, Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav, Pune She founded the 21-member Indian National Orchestra (INO), which presents new compositions that combine Carnatic and Hindustani styles. In her North–South jugalbandi concerts she has appeared with Ustad Zakir Hussain, Kala Ramnath, Ronu Mazumdar, Purbayan Chatterjee, Rakesh Chaurasia and other artists, offering duet programmes that juxtapose the two traditions.

In 2022 Jayanthi, Kala Ramnath (violin) and Ustad Zakir Hussain (tabla) formed the trio Triveni, which explores the confluence of Hindustani and Carnatic idioms. The ensemble has since undertaken an 18-city North-American tour and performed at venues such as the Sydney Opera House and Singapore's Esplanade.

Beyond these projects, Jayanthi has shared the stage with a wide range of Indian maestros. Recent examples include a jugalbandi with Carnatic vocalist Bombay Jayashri and appearances with artists such as Haridhwaramangalam A. K. Palanivel, Aruna Sairam, Sudha Ragunathan, Kaushiki Chakraborty, Mysore Manjunath, Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi, Sikkil Mala Chandrasekar and Grammy-winner Ricky Kej. She was a featured artist in Universal Notes, a Darbar Festival production with the British Philharmonic Orchestra that linked Carnatic and Hindustani idioms, Her long-running duet series Strings Attached with violinist Kumaresh showcases original and classical repertoire, while Parallel Strings pairs the veena with pianist Anil Srinivasan in cross-stylistic recitals.

Discography Jayanthi has released several albums with multiple themes and presentations, which includes 45 Ragas, Jagruthi, Shankaram, Run with SA, Thillana Thillana, Timeless Tunes, The Singing Veena, Veena Saman, Veena Visions, Walking Together, and many others. Jayanthi composed and released the album "Mysterious Duality", in which the artist has played 7 different Veena tracks. This album has been hailed as a path breaker. 2023 HomeRecords (FiddlingMonk Violin) Sanmarga HomeRecords Veena Seshanna Compositions Veena Visions 2024 Home Records

Teaching and outreach Jayanthi has worked with India’s Ministry of Culture and Rikskonsertene

Cup O' Carnatic Her web series, Cup O' Carnatic (2016–present) offers concise explanations of Carnatic concepts.

Her latest production, Cup o' Carnatic, a live show, which premiered in Bengaluru and later in Chennai, is a blend of music, animation and storytelling.

Productions As a composer Jayanthi has written scores for dance works (Krishna Bhakthi, Abbakarani, Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya), for the National South Asian Youth Orchestra (UK), and for single releases such as “Janani,” “Vasanthabhairavi,” and “A Thousand Stars.” Her stage concepts include Story in Concert, She also leads the fusion ensemble Indian Spice and has recorded therapeutic music for Times Now.

Awards 2006: State award of Kalaimamani from Tamil Nadu Government 2022: Sangeetha Vedanta Dhurina - Bangalore 2022: Sangeet Natak Academy 2026: Sur Jyotsna National Music Award was honored Legend Award for her exceptional contribution to Indian classical music, particularly for her mastery of the Saraswati Veena and for promoting Indian classical music globally