About The Speaker
Ilaiyaraaja
Ilaiyaraaja is a legendary Indian composer, conductor, and lyricist who has composed over 7,000 songs and provided film scores for more than 1,000 movies. A disciple of Master Dhanraj, and later mentored by the renowned Carnatic and Hindustani musician- T. V. Gopalakrishnan, Ilaiyaraaja is celebrated for integrating Indian folk and traditional instrumentation with Western classical music techniques. His prolific career milestones include being the first Asian to compose a full symphony performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and scoring the critically acclaimed Nayakan (1987). He has headlined massive global concerts at venues such as the O2 Arena in London, Barclays Center in New York, and the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata, performing in countries including the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and Italy. His immense contributions have been recognized with five National Film Awards, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, and India's highest civilian honors, the Padma Bhushan (2005) and Padma Vibhushan (2018). Currently, he remains highly active as a professional composer and performer, while also serving as a nominated Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha.