Utsav 2004

Karthik Gopalratnam

Karthik Gopalratnam started learning the art of playing the Mridangam at the age of 9, in Bangalore, India. His Guru is the renowned Vidwan Sri H.S. Sudhindra, a respected teacher and prominent artiste in Bangalore, and a prime disciple of Sri Srimushnam Raja Rao, one of the foremost exponents of the art. Karthik has given numerous performances in Bangalore, and was placed third in the state-wide music exam. He has given many concerts in Dallas and Houston after moving to the US in '99, and continues to keep up an active concert schedule. In addition, Karthik has learnt svocal music from his mother Smt. Girija Gopalratnam, and from Vidushi Neela Ramgopal of Bangalore, torchbearer of a style of Carnatic music steeped in traditional values. Using his solid grounding in vocal music, Karthik strives to emulate the style of his Mridangam Gurus, who are known for their complete knowledge of vocal music, and sensitive accompaniment. Karthik is currently a graduate student in Computer Science at the University of Washington.