HCL Concerts’ The Carnatic Quest Announces the Next Generation Carnatic Music Stars of India

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India:

• Winners will be mentored by senior artists and will get a chance to perform at HCL Concerts virtual and physical platforms
• Over 800 entries received from 175 cities in India

​HCL Concerts, a platform aimed at identifying, nurturing and supporting the next generation of talent in the Indian classical performing arts space, today announced the winners of ‘The Carnatic Quest’. A one-of-a-kind contest conceptualised jointly by HCL Concerts and Chennai-based Rhapsody Music Foundation, The Carnatic Quest was aimed at identifying, young prodigious Carnatic musicians across five categories including Vocal, Veena, Violin, Flute and Percussion.

Winners of the talent hunt will now be mentored by the jury members of the contest who are senior artists and maestros of Carnatic music. They will also perform for millions of music enthusiasts that follow the HCL Concerts social media platforms as well as users of the HCL Music app (a mobile app offering one of the most comprehensive collection of Indian classical music for free). Winners will get an opportunity to get featured with seasoned artists in an exclusive HCL Concerts music album. Additionally, HCL Concerts will also conduct trainings and workshops with these artists to enable them to leverage the power of social and digital media, aimed at maximizing their visibility and engagement with music lovers.

Winners of the first HCL Concerts Carnatic Quest include:

• Vocals
• Veena
• Violin
• Flute
• Percussion

Announcing the winners, Sundar Mahalingam, Chief Strategy Officer, HCL Corporation said, “Over the last 22 years HCL Concerts has endeavored to identify, nurture and support established as well as young Indian classical performing artists. Organizing The Carnatic Quest has been an important step towards ensuring that talented young artists have access to a platform that can help them reach a wider audience as well as grow as artists with guidance from renowned artists as mentors, who are also the jury for this initiative. The success of this contest is a testament to our efforts being in the right direction and we hope to organize similar programs for other music genres in the coming year.” 

The contest received over 800 entries from 175 Indian cities with the largest pool of entries for Vocals category followed by Violin, Veena, Flute, and Percussion which received almost equally distributed entries. The winners were chosen after three rigorous selection rounds held over a period of two months. The last and the final round had 40 entries of which 10 artists were selected as winners by distinguished jury members such as Dr Jayanthi Kumaresh (renowned Veena exponent), Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi (expert violinist), Sudha Ragunathan (veteran vocalist, singer and composer) and Shashank Subramanyam (Grammy-nominated renowned flute exponent). The Jury considered parameters that included elements such as technical knowledge of music, presentation, and communication for winner selection.

Padma Bhushan awardee, Sangita Kalanidhi Sudha Ragunathan, distinguished Carnatic vocalist and also a Jury member for The Carnatic Quest finale said, “Collaborating with HCL Concerts and the Rhapsody Music Foundation, both of whom are devoted to identifying and nurturing next generation Indian Classical musicians, aligns with my commitment towards the field and passion for mentoring young musicians. HCL ensured that as jury members our role was not limited to just selecting the winners, but also included guiding them in their journey going forward. I’m looking forward to interacting with them in the future.”

Notes to the Editor

About HCL Concerts

The conservation and promotion of India’s art and cultural heritage is very close to HCL’s heart. To this end, HCL has been organizing HCL Concerts for 22 years, dedicated to nurturing and promoting talent rooted in the glorious heritage of Indian classical performing arts. Concerts under the umbrella of HCL Concerts are organized in Delhi NCR, Lucknow, Nagpur, Madurai, Chennai and Bengaluru in India and in New York and San Francisco in the US regularly throughout the year. Over 1000 artists have graced this platform and have contributed towards reinvigorating the Indian classical performing arts.

Over the years, more platforms have been developed to contribute to the growth of the Indian performing arts ecosystem. Most notable of these are HCL Concerts Baithak – a series of live, virtual performances by accomplished and upcoming Indian classical music and dance artists, HCL Concerts Soundscapes – showcasing the independent and inclusive music from across the Indian landscape including genres like Sufi, Folk and Indie-pop; the HCL Music Mobile App, allowing music lovers across the world a chance to enjoy the most comprehensive collection of classical music from the comforts of their home for free, and HCL Digital Concerts, a talent identification and nurturing program aimed at showcasing talented and upcoming classical performing artists to a global audience through a digital medium. For more information, visit – http://www.hclconcerts.com and  https://www.facebook.com/HCLConcerts/

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