Sikkil Gurucharan is among the foremost young performing musicians of Carnatic Music in India today. One might think his musical lineage precedes him, but his voice, training and dedication stand their own ground. He is the grandson of Sikkil Kunjumani, elder of the internationally acclaimed flautists Padmashri Sikkil Sisters. Gurucharan has been under the tutelage Vaigal Shri. Gnanaskandan and is currently being mentored by Shri B Krishnamurthy.
In a span of close to 13 years, Gurucharan has performed extensively in India and abroad, spanning prestigious venues such as the Music Academy (Chennai), Sri Shanmukhananda Sabha (Mumbai), Esplanade Theaters by the Bay (Singapore), Riverside theatres (Sydney), Korean Arts Management Centre (Seoul), the Sangeet Natak Akademi (New Delhi), Chowdiah Hall (Bangalore) and at popular festivals like the Cleveland Festival (USA), Rabindra Utsav (Kolkata), to name a few. Apart from the concerts in India, he frequently tours abroad for giving concerts in various festivals and is also an A grade All India Radio artiste.
Sikkil Gurucharan is among young musicians who stand as youth ambassadors for the future of Carnatic Music. In bringing this art to students and aficionados alike, he has opened the gates to a larger and interested audience having a welcoming attitude towards innovation while retaining the spirit of the original art form. This is evident in his active participation in youth festivals, lec-dems and his concerted effort at recording theme-based albums that have greater appeal with listeners.
His album Ramayana is a musical dramatization of the epic, drawing on ragas and kritis to portray the various episodes. This album has been the underlying theme in Gurucharans concerts in Singapore and Indonesia and received critical acclaim. On the other hand, his album Madhirakshi, together with pianist Anil Srinivasan, is a contemporary experiment with piano and voice and is a runaway hit especially with the current generation. The album Parama, has recently received a nomination for the Best Classical Album at the prestigious Global Indian Music Awards.
Beyond the music scene, Charan, as he is affectionately called, is 29 years old, an alumnus of Vidya Mandir (Class of 1999) and is an avid admirer of Isai Gnani Illayaraja and Padmashri Kamal Hassan. When he is not making music, Charan loves traveling, adventure sports, watching movies and is a die-hard fan of good food! He lives in Royapettah with his parents and wife.
