THE CHARYS.
After moving to the United States, Srikanth had the opportunity to study music from the famed violinist Kum. A. Kanyakumari. This opportunity awakened in Srikanth a keen love for music that he has been pursuing ever since.
From the early 1980s Srikanth received advanced music training from the music Maestro Padmabhushan Lalgudi G. Jayaraman. Sri Jayaraman's bani (musical style) is well known for its purity of sound and rhythm, its emphasis on tonal perfection, and its sparkling creativity in manodharama sangitam (improvisational music).
Srikanth has adapted this captivating style to the veena, and reformed this instrument to a new melodic medium while preserving the traditional purity of Carnatic music. He has delighted audiences all over with his scintillating music.
Srikanth has given many concerts in the United States, India and Australia and has received excellent reviews. In concert at Chennai’s Narada Gana Sabha in 1989, Srikanth was felicitated by the late Sangeetha Kalanidhi Dr. M. L. Vasanthakumari, who presented him with a silk shawl.
Srikanth has accompanied eminent vocalists like Smt. Charumati Ramachandran, Smt. Sudha Ragunathan, Papanasam Sri Ashok Ramani and the Carnatica Brothers. He has also given jugalbandhis with Hindustani musicians. In 1999, he was invited to perform a duet with Sangeetha Choodamani Lalgudi Sri G. J. R. Krishnan at the residence of His Excellency, the Governor of Andhra Pradesh. During Fall 2002, Srikanth was part of a violin-veena-venu team U.S concert tour with Lalgudi Sri G. J. R. Krishnan and Sri K. R. Subramaniam. Srikanth was awarded "The Best Veena Player Award" by the prestigious Chennai Music Academy during the 2002-2003 music festival.
Srikanth frequently performs on television and radio and is a graded artiste of the All India Radio. He has released three compact discs (Janani, 1996; Tiger and Silk, 2002; Ethereal Melodies, 2007) which have won rave reviews from music connoisseurs worldwide.
In 1989, Srikanth established a music school Nada Nidhi to pass on the rich heritage of Carnatic music. Srikanth’s students have performed widely to critical acclaim. They have also won prestigious awards in national and international music competitions.