Sessions
ಗಮಕ: Bringing Alive Kannada Epics
Gangamma Keshavamurthy with Shantha Nagamangala
Bio
Gamaka Vidushi Smt. Gangamma Keshavamurthy is the President of the Karnataka Gamaka Kala Parishath. Originally from Konanur in Hassan District, she learnt traditional songs from her mother, Somanayakamma, and she studied classical music and gamaka from her father, Venkataramaiah. Later, she studied with many well- known teachers. From a very young age, she began teaching music and giving recitals of gamaka. She has evolved her own unique style referred to as the ‘Gangamma Gharana’ which depicts all the nava rasas, and she has given around 12,000 gamaka programmes.
She presided over the 9th Gamaka Kala Sammelana in 2013, and she was the President of the Karnataka Sangeetha Nritya Academy in 2014. Since 2017, she has been the President of the Karnataka Gamaka Kala Parishath. She is an artist of Akashvani and Doordarshan. For the last 60 years, she has been running the Lakshmisha Gamaka Pathashale. Thousands of students have learnt gamaka and music from this school and have made their names in the field.
The awards she has received include the Karnataka Kalashree, Kempegowda Prashasti, Kumaravyasa Prashasti, Muliya Thimmappaiah Prashasti, Gamaka Ratnakara, Kavya Vachana Bhaghirathi, Gamaka Kogile and many others.
Her gamaka performances have been accompanied by vyakhyana (commentary) from many eminent scholars, including Mathur Krishnamurthy, Lakshmi Keshava Shastri, Prof. Radhakrishna, Shatavadhani R. Ganesh and others.