Aishwarya Vidhya Raghunath, popularly known as AVR is a Carnatic Vocalist from Bengaluru. Her music is a deep meditation in the art of Carnatic Music and every concert of hers is an experience worth remembering.

 

An A-graded artiste of All India Radio and Doordarshan, Aishwarya VR has the honour of being the disciple of musical stalwarts - Sangita Kalacharya (Late) Smt Seethalakshmi Venkatesan, Padma Bhushan (Late) Shri PS Narayanaswamy, Sangeetha Kala Sagaram Smt. Vegavahini Vijayaraghavan, and Vidwan Shri RK Shriramkumar thus being moulded into the Semmangudi bani and the Veena Dhanammal bani. She began learning music at the age of 3 and her first solo public performance was at the age of 13.

 

As a consummate musician, Aishwarya’s performances have found expression in lecture demonstrations, creative collaborations and public concerts at venues of global repute both in India and around the world. From performances at niche venues such as the historically significant Vishnu Temple in Jodhpur to cultural institutions such as Madras Music Academy, Shanmukhanada Hall in Mumbai, Bangalore Gayana Samaj and Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneshwar as well centres of high learning such as IISc Bengaluru, IIT Madras, University of Miami and others; Aishwarya’s endeavour has been to take the joy and magic of Carnatic music to diverse audiences across the world. In 2018, she completed a 2-month concert tour of USA and Canada with CMANA (Carnatic Music Association of North America).

 

She is a highly awarded artiste; having received the prestigious “Outstanding Lady Vocalist” Award from Madras Music Academy for three consecutive years. She is also the recipient of important awards like the Kalki Krishnamurthy Award, M.S. Subbulakshmi Award, Yuva Purandara, D.K. Pattammal Award, Raga Laya Prabha, and the prestigious Govt. of India Scholarship from the Ministry of Culture. Additionally, she has been featured in reviews and articles in mainstream print media.

 

Aishwarya’s other great passion is for painting; she is proficient in oil painting, acrylic painting, water colours and charcoal drawings. In April 2017, Aishwarya’s art was recognized by Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath through the exhibition, Akanksha. She is a part of Artists for Wildlife and Nature, promoting conservation and environmentalism through her paintings. Academically, Aishwarya is a Biotech Engineer and worked for a while as an executive at Biocon. She is now a full-time musician and lives with her husband and puppies in Bengaluru.