Guest Masterclass Series · 2026/27
Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman
An online masterclass with one of the most revered mridangam masters in Carnatic music — on rhythm, tradition, and a lifetime devoted to the art. Hosted by Yshai Afterman.
An online masterclass with one of the most revered mridangam masters in Carnatic music — on rhythm, tradition, and a lifetime devoted to the art. Hosted by Yshai Afterman.
Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman is one of the most revered mridangam masters in the history of Carnatic music — a living legend whose performing career spans more than seventy-five years. The mridangam, the principal drum of South Indian classical music, has had few interpreters of his stature: he has accompanied the greatest vocalists and instrumentalists of his era and helped shape how the instrument is understood and played today.
Honoured with the Padma Vibhushan, among the highest civilian awards of his country, and the revered title Sangita Kalanidhi, he is as much a scholar and innovator as a performer — he has even worked with scientists to study the acoustics of the mridangam. Born in 1935, he carries an unbroken lineage of the Carnatic tradition into the present day.
This is not an ordinary class. It is an intimate encounter — a small, close circle where you don't watch a master from afar, but sit beside one.
This is a live online masterclass — not a recording, but a real conversation as much as a lesson. Sivaraman will share his remarkable life and musical journey across more than seventy-five years on the stage — and the wisdom that comes with it: personal insights into the mridangam and the Carnatic science of laya, his approach to lifelong practice and discipline, the refined art of accompaniment that is the mridangam's highest calling, and the spirit and devotion that sustain a life in classical music.
More about Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman: official website · Instagram
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The Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman masterclass takes place live on September 5, 2026 inside the Afterman Percussion Conservatory, with the recording kept in the portal. Members watch live, and the recording stays in the portal afterward. Pick the path that fits where you are now.
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One-on-one with Yshai. Custom-paced, personally tailored, weekly or biweekly. Limited slots — arranged after a short conversation.
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