"Thyagaraja was like a great Vatavrksha or Banyan Tree. He represented the main stem, a strong and powerful support which looms large, casting a shadow under which thousands of musicians, patrons and art lovers have gathered and taken shelter. From the rock steady tree, came many more terrestrial roots, which were his sishya paramparas. Each one was unique, having a character of its own, leaving its mark on the fertile soil of Carnatic Music, and gathering greater and greater numbers of followers. In course of time, the main stem, became a legend, surrounded as it was by the thick foliage of its own offshoots. " Liner notes by V. Sriram

We all know that Thyagaraja's compositions form the backbone of Carnatic music as we know it today. What is astonishing is how many famous composers and performers belong the the musical lineage of Thyagaraja. The following is a (probably incomplete) listing .. our knowledgeable rasikas are invited to fill in any gaps

Shruti Laya would like to celebrate this amazing sishya parampara of Thyagaraja in the next composers day on Saturday Dec.10 2016. As usual, this will be a full day program and all students and artists are invited to perform in groups (music or dance) at this event. There will be a participation fee of $5 per artist. There will also be an opportunity for two or three solo mini concerts or dance performances of 20 minutes each.

Note: Registration is now closed for this event

In order to have a successful composer's day event and ensure the widest range of participation, we shall have the following rules

1. Only compositions of any of the Thyagaraja Sishya Parampara composers listed above are allowed. (If we missed out any composers, please let us know and we will add their names too!). Please note that we are not allowing Thyagaraja compositions at this time
2. Group participation strongly preferred (Exceptions will be allowed for students learning remotely)
3. Strongly encourage applications by teachers for their students. However, if there is a group of students learning remotely from the same or different teachers who want to join together to perform in this event, they can also reach out to us.
4. Each teacher's group will be allowed 15 minutes. Larger groups (6 or more members) can extend up to 20 minutes.
5. Accompanists: Participants are free to arrange their own accompanists (violin/mrudangam). There are also likely to be music students who want to accompany, so please let us know if you want us to arrange accompaniments.