T. N. Seshagopalan was born on September 15th of 1948 to T. Nambi Iyengar and Thiruvenkatavalli, in Nagapattinam. Seshagopalan had his initial training music under his mother and Sri Ramanathapuram C.S. Sankarasivan, who was a great disciple of Harikesanallur Muthiah Bagavathar, the eminent musician and composer.
Seshagopalan holds a degree in Science from Madras University and a degree in music from Madurai University. He served as a professor of music at the Madurai University.
Seshagopalan’s fame has not been just within the boundaries of India. In 1984 he was invited to sing at Adelaide International festival in Australia (included performances in Perth, Adelaide, New Zealand & Sydney). In 1987 he was India’s cultural ambassador to Russia. He has performed in Singapore, Malaysia, Bahrain and Sri Lanka and & has visited and performed in the United States several times.
A musical genius, Seshagopalan has been endowed with an enchanting and melodious voice that has captured the heart and souls of music lovers in India and the international arena. During his concert in September 1996 at the university of Washington in Seattle , Washington , he captured the hearts of his audience who were a mixed blend of Americans, Indians, Japanese & others with his rendition of Ragam ? Thanam ? Pallavi. Seshagopalan is equally at home with North Indian Ragas. Seshagopalan has participated in several jugalbandis.
Seshagopalan has received numerous awards and titles, including the Tirupugakazh Mani conferred by Justice Krishnaswami Iyer of Travencore in 1964, the Gana Boopathi bestowed by Tamil Sangam of Olavakod in 1967, Kalai Maamani by the Tamil Nadu Govt in 1984, Isai Selavam conferred by Mr.Karunanidhi, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
In 1983, the prestigious Music Academy of Madras arranged to have a program of T.N. Seshagopalan in order to record special CDs and cassettes for release in the U.S.
Discography:
Madurai T.N. Seshagopalan – Veena (Saregama)
Madhura Sangeeth (Living Media India)
Natakurinji (Charsur Digital Workstation)
Krishna Gaanam – Vol. 1 (Sangeetha Live Cassettes)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.