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Iconic Carnatic vocalist of India, philanthropist and actress, Sangita Kalanidhi M. S. Subbalakshmi ((1916 – 2004) was the recipient of Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor and the Ramon Magsaysay award. Gifted with a singing voice of incomparable purity, she imbued her music with deep intellect and devotion. She was adored by leaders of India such as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru while also being revered as the Queen of Indian Classical Music by the masses.

Saraswati Veena player, Dr. Jayanthi Kumaresh, traces her ancestry back to a prestigious Carnatic musical family. She learnt music from her mother and her aunt, both sisters of the violin maestro, Lalgudi Jayaraman. She received further training in the veena from Dr. S. Balachander. She is a top international performer and has been awarded numerous honors for her performances, compositions, and research work.

Celebrated Hindustani Vocalist Gangubai Hangal (1913 – 2009) was born in Dharwad, Karnataka state. She was a legendary Khayal singer of the Kirana Gharana. She was a disciple of Guru Sawai Gandharva and became known for her deep and powerful voice. She was awarded a number of honors, including the Sangeet Nataka Akademi Award and Padma Vibhushan.

Vidushi Sukanya Ramgopal (born 1957) is the first woman Ghatam player in Carnatic music and founder of the first all-women Carnatic band, Sthree Taal Tarang. She received her musical training from the family of legendary ghatam player, Vidwan T. H. Vinayakram. Besides playing the ghatam, she plays the violin, mridangam, veena, and sings as well. She has bagged awards from prestigious institutions in India such as the Madras Music Academy and the Sangeet Natak Akademi.

Sangita Kalanidhis Sikkil Sisters Kunjumani (1927 - 2010) and Neela (1938 – 2023) were the first ever female duo Carnatic flautists. Connected to the legendary “Flute Mali” on their mothers’ side, they learnt music from Azhiyur Narayanaswami Iyer. They were top notch performers known for their traditional style. They received the Sangeet Nataka Akademi, Kalaimamani and Padmashree awards.

Vidushi Begum Parveen Sultana was born in 1950 into a musical Afghan family in Assam, northeastern India. Beginning her training at five, she later learnt music under legends like Acharya Pandit Chinmoy Lahiri and her future husband, Ustad Dilshad Khan. Known for her enviable vocal range, Sultana is adept in classical khayal, thumri, and bhajan styles in Hindustani music. She is a recipient of Padma Shree, Sangeet Natak Akademy, and Padma Bhushan awards.

Sitar player Vidushi Anupama Bhagwat (1950) was born and grew up in Bhilai, Northern India, in a family of Carnatic musicians. She learnt Hindustani music from Pandit Shri Bimalendu Mukherjee, doyen of the Imdadkhani Gharana, who also was living in Bhilai then. Anupama’s style is characterized by scintillating fast taans, mastery of the meditative alaap, and brilliant fluency of melody, while remaining true to tradition.

Sangita Kalanidhi D K Pattammal (1919 - 2009) was a member of the female trinity of Carnatic Musicians along with Smt. M S Subbalakshmi and Dr. M L Vasanthakumari. Learning from luminaries such as Kanchipuram Naina Pillai and Ambi Dikshitar, she trained a succession of musicians, had a film playback singing career and stood for music adhering to tradition. Unmatched in her open throated singing with exemplary swaraprastharas and gamakas, she was considered a living repository of Muthuswamy Dikshitar's compositions.

Vidushi Parassala B. Ponnammal (1924 – 2021) was born in southwestern Indian state of Kerala where she lived, performed, and taught Carnatic music over several decades. She learned music in the Swati Tirunal College of Music, Kerala where she studied under stalwarts including Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and later joined the college as faculty. She became well known in India and abroad after being invited in 2006 to be the first female ever to perform in the Navaratri Mandapam in the 177-year history of the Navaratri Mandapam festival. She received the Padma Shri and Sangeet Natak Akademi honors.

Ms. Lata Mangeshkar ((1929 – 2022), considered the greatest playback singer of Indian cinema, recorded more than 50,000 film songs across 14 languages during a career spanning eight decades. Trained by her father Dinanath Mangeshkar in classical music, Lata was known for perfect pitch, exceptional range and clarity of her voice. She was awarded India’s highest civilian honor Bharat Ratna in 2001. In 1972, Lata lent her golden voice to the famous song “Chalte Chalte” tuned by Ghulam Mohammad for the blockbuster Bollywood film “Pakeezah”.

The first female Tabla player of India, Anuradha Pal was born in 1975 in Mumbai. She is a disciple of maestro Ustad Zakir Hussein of the Punjab Gharana. She is an internationally known performer, multi-percussionist, recording artist and composer. The Hindustan Times commented on Vidushi Anuradha Pal thus: “If the male synonym for Tabla is Zakir Hussain, then the female equivalent has to undeniably be Anuradha Pal.”