About
Dr. Jayanthi Kumaresh is among the world's foremost exponents of the Saraswati veena, India's ancient plucked instrument. A sixth-generation musician of the Lalgudi lineage with a performing career of more than forty years, she has taken the veena to global stages and, through research and outreach, to new audiences. She received the Sangita Kalanidhi for 2026 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
Born in 1969 into a sixth-generation musical family, Jayanthi Kumaresh began on the veena at three, learning from her mother, the violinist Lalgudi Rajalakshmi, and her aunt Padmavathy Ananthagopalan, with guidance from her great-uncle Lalgudi Jayaraman and the veena master S. Balachander. Among the youngest to earn an A-Top grading from All India Radio, she holds a doctorate in veena styles, founded the Indian National Orchestra, and has performed at festivals from the Chennai Season to the San Francisco Jazz Festival, Darbar London and Celtic Connections. Her web series Cup O' Carnatic has reached millions.
The artistry
Kumaresh fuses the traditional Carnatic vocabulary of intricate gamakas and rhythmic precision with innovative phrasing and a distinctive, sometimes gently electrified tone that expands the veena's expressive range. Founder of the Indian National Orchestra and creator of layered multi-veena recordings, she is a Carnatic innovator who has revived widespread interest in the instrument while honouring its depth.
[Atlas Perspective] Dr. Jayanthi Kumaresh is among the world's leading veena artists and a Sangita Kalanidhi honouree. For flagship festivals and prestige programmes, she is a first-rank choice.
Dr. Jayanthi Kumaresh has revived and globalised the Saraswati veena, expanding its expressive range and its audience while carrying forward the great Lalgudi musical lineage, and stands among the foremost instrumentalists in Carnatic music.