Mon Dec 15 15:59:05 UTC 2025: News Article:
A.R. Rahman Urges Innovation to Attract Younger Audiences to Classical Music at Chennai Music Academy Inauguration
Chennai – Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman challenged the classical music community to find new ways to engage younger audiences at the inauguration of the 99th Annual Conference and Concerts of the Music Academy in Chennai on Monday. Rahman, who presented the prestigious Sangita Kalanidhi, M.S. Subbulakshmi Award to Carnatic violinist R.K. Shriramkumar, observed the predominantly older age demographic in the audience and stressed the need for innovation to revitalize the art form.
Rahman shared ideas, including potential film projects, aimed at making classical music more appealing to a younger generation. He emphasized the importance of creating immersive experiences, both through performance mastery and the design of concert spaces. He acknowledged the competition from social media and artificial intelligence but underscored the irreplaceable value of live performance and the need to continually reinvent the performing arts.
The musician also highlighted the unifying power of devotion (bhakti) across musical traditions, emphasizing that he learned to create by innovating and collaborating.
In his acceptance speech, R.K. Shriramkumar emphasized the importance of preserving the genre’s unique soundscape. Music Academy President N. Murali praised Rahman’s integration of Carnatic and Hindustani elements into his work. He also noted the Academy’s upgrade to a world-class audio system.
The event was attended by prominent Carnatic musicians T.M. Krishna and Bombay Jayashri.
Summary:
A.R. Rahman, at the inauguration of the Music Academy’s annual conference in Chennai, highlighted the need to attract younger audiences to classical music through innovation and immersive experiences. He presented the M.S. Subbulakshmi Award to violinist R.K. Shriramkumar, who spoke about the importance of preserving Carnatic music’s unique sound. The event also showcased the Academy’s new audio system and was attended by prominent figures in the Carnatic music scene.
First Piper 