Prema Ramamurthy

In this Kannada name, the person is referred to by their given name, Prema, and not by their surname, Ramamurthy.

Prema Ramamurthy is an Indian Carnatic vocalist from Karnataka. In addition to solo performances, she has composed and sung for Bharatanatyam dance performances and also composed music for art tele-films, devotional albums, thematic productions and documentary films. She received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for the year 2020 for her contribution to music for dance.

Prema Ramamurthy
Born	(1949-08-28) 28 August 1949 (age 76) Ballari, Karnataka, India
Occupation	Indian Carnatic Singer
Children	2, including Jayaprada Ramamurthy
Parents	Nagaraj Sastry (father) Jayalakshmi (mother)
Awards	Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2020)
Musical career
Genres	Indian classical music
Instrument	Vocals

Biography

Prema Ramamurthy was born on August 28, 1949, to Nagaraj Sastry and Jayalakshmi in Ballari, Karnataka.^[1] She started learning Carnatic music at the age of three from her parents and grandfather Srinivasa Sastry.^[1] She later done he advanced training under noted Carnatic musicians including M. Balamuralikrishna, T. V. Gopalakrishnan and T. Muktha.^[1] She specialised in Pallavi singing from Gopalakrishnan and trained in Padams and Javalis in Carnatic music from Muktha.^[2]

Personal life

Prema is settled in Hyderabad, Telangana now.^[1] Her daughter Jayaprada Ramamurthy is a flautist.^[3]

Career

Prema Ramamurthy has performed in various venues within and outside India including major festivals within the country and abroad.^[1] In addition to solo performances, she has composed and sung for Bharatanatyam dance performances.^[4] She has also composed music for art tele-films, devotional albums, thematic productions and documentary films, and documentary films including national award winning documentary films produced by the Films Division of India.^[1] She is an 'A Top Grade artiste' of All India Radio and Doordarshan.^[2]

Awards and honors

Prema Ramamurthy received many awards including the Ugadi Puraskar by the Government of Telangana and the Sangeet Saraswati by the Madhuri Satyaguru Sangit Sabha.^[1] She received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for the year 2020 for her contribution to music for dance.^[1]