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The brothers Ustad Nazakat Ali Khan (1932-1983) and Ustad Salamat Ali Khan (1934-2001) were born in the Shyam Chaurasi village in Hoshiarpur district in pre partition Punjab. Their father Vilayat Ali Khan and uncle Ahmed Ali Khan were famous vocalists and used to sing together. Duet performances (Jugal Bandi) have long been a tradition of this family. Nazakat-Salamat, as they were popularly known, settled in Lahore, Pakistan after the Partition of 1947. (bio courtesy: “Musicians of India” by Amala Dasasarma)

Navatman Music Collective (NMC) is a New York City based music choir that brings together Carnatic classical music and diverse, contemporary influences. This collective has performed in several venues and music festivals in New York. Navatman released its album An Untimely Joy in the Fall of 2016.

Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar (1929 – 1990) was among the most highly regarded Rudra Veena players in the instrument’s illustrious history, widely credited with being responsible for its revival as a solo concert instrument. He was a member of the 19th generation of Dagar family, among the oldest and most highly regarded gharanas of Dhrupad, an ancient school of practice and thought within the Hindustani tradition of Indian Classical music.

Sangita Kalanidhi Madurai G N Balasubramaniam (1910 – 1965) was a Carnatic music star and singing film star as well. Initially trained by his father, GNB was also college educated before taking up music as a career. He was known for his boundless creativity and vast repertoire. Developing the unique GNB “bani” of singing, he went to train other future stars of Carnatic music such as Sangita Kalanidhi Dr. MLV, a member of the trinity of female Carnatic vocalist superstars.

Padma Vibhushan Dr. N. Rajam (born 1938) hails from a family of musicians that includes Carnatic violinist Sangita Kalanidhi T. N. Krishnan and initially trained under the Carnatic music stalwart Musiri Subramanya Iyer. She later learned raga development from the vocalist Omkarnath Thakur and branched into Hindustani violin playing. She has performed widely across the world and has taught at music at the Benares Hindu University for over four decades.

R Prasanna (born 1970) learnt Carnatic music from Tiruvarur Balasubramaniam and Carnatic violinist Sangita Kalanidhi A Kanyakumari. He holds an engineering degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and a music degree from Berklee College of Music. He is a film music composer and international collaborator as well.

Padma Vibhushan Pandit Mallikarjun Bheemaraayappa Mansur (1910 – 1992) was born in a village few miles from Dharwad, Karnataka. A revered vocalist of the Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana, he was initially trained in Carnatic music. Subsequently he started learning Hindustani music under Sri Nilkanth Buwa and continued it under Ustad Manji Khan and Ustad Bhurji Khan.

Carnatic Veena Vidwan Chitti Babu (1936 – 1996) was born Hanumanlu Challapally to Telugu speaking parents in Kakinada. At age twelve, his parents moved to Madras (present day Chennai). His learnt Carnatic music from Veena Vidwan Emani Sankara Sastry. Chitti Babu was a popular international performer, star recording artiste and film composer as well. He also developed his unique style of Veena playing.