December is the month of music in Chennai. Led by the venerable The Music Academy, sabhas of assorted kind jostle with one another to host Carnatic music concerts across the city of Chennai. Music tourism of an unannounced type happens in Chennai during this month. Music buffs from within and outside the country flock to this capital of Tamil Nadu to savour classical music of high quality. It does not mean that the rest of the months go without music of the December kind. The Academy has been in the forefront to promote the cause of this art form all through the year with support from generous-minded people and institutions.

   For instance, the Academy hosts a ten-day festival since 1989 in the memory of noted lyricist Ambujam Krishna, thanks to the generous sponsorship of Sundram Fasteners Limited. Many young musicians have been introduced to the public by the Academy through this series.

Many endowments have also been instituted for the promotion of music, harikatha and dance. Scholarships and prizes are also awarded under these endowments to the winners in the concerts. Certain days of the year are observed in the memory of composers, thanks to these endowments with concerts comprising their songs. Music competitions, both vocal and instrumental, are also held under the endowments as also financial support to indigent musicians

Thanks to endowments from generous patrons, the Academy conducts annual competitions in vocal and instrumental music. Several young talents have become top-ranking stars thanks to these competitions.

IT major HCL Ltd. has been sponsoring the HCL concert series for a long while now. It began in the late 1980s. It involves a monthly concert, each one featuring a young and upcoming artiste. Besides, there is one annual concert that features a star Carnatic performer. The junior concerts especially are viewed as a springboard for recognition in the classical music world. As part of this exercise, three concerts will be held this month and two in November. The details are given below:

October 18, 2022: Veena Venkatramani (Veena) and Kundurthi Aravind (Mridangam)

October 19, 2022:  K.R. Manasvini (Bharatanatyam)

October 20, 2022: Radhe Jaggi (Bharatanatyam)

November 22, 2022: C.S. Keshav Chandra (Flute), T.V. Sukanya (Violin) and N. Nagaraj (Mridangam)

November 23, 2022: Akshaya Arunkumar (Bharatanatyam).

Like The Music Academy, many other leading sabhas in the city are also staying busy through the year by organising music event intermittently.