CHENNAI, March 21, 2026: HCL Concerts, a platform dedicated to identifying, nurturing, and supporting the next generation of talent in the Indian classical performing arts space, has announced the winners of Carnatic Quest 2025, the fifth edition of its national talent hunt for emerging Carnatic musicians. Conducted in collaboration with the Rhapsody Music Foundation, the competition drew participation from over 2500 artists across 145 cities in India. Winners were selected across the categories of vocals, violin, veena, flute, and percussion, following a grand finale held earlier in Chennai.
Carnatic Quest, launched in 2020 during the pandemic when live performances had come to a halt, was conceived to keep India’s classical tradition alive and to give emerging musicians a stage unconstrained by geography. Over the years, the initiative has evolved into a national platform for discovering and supporting young Carnatic musicians, enabling them to present their artistry to wider audiences. The contest is held annually, focusing on two age groups, 12-18 and 18-30, every alternate year.
Now in its fifth edition, and its third focused on senior-level artists, the competition invited participants aged 18 to 30 to compete across five vocal and instrumental categories. The competition unfolded across three digital screening rounds before culminating to the on-ground finale in Chennai.
Past Carnatic Quest winners including P Vikram (vocal), V S P Gayatri Sivani (violin), K R Shrivats (veena), and Sairam Kumar (percussion) have gone on to perform at prominent classical platforms and festivals, a trajectory the 2025 cohort is now poised to follow.
Carnatic Quest 2025 was evaluated by an eminent panel of leading Carnatic musicians. The esteemed jury included Kalaimamani Shri Sikkil Gurucharan (Vocal), Sangeetha Kalanidhi Smt Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi (Violin), Kalaimamani Shri K V Prasad (Percussion), Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee Shri Shashank Subramanyam (Flute) and Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee Smt Jayanthi Kumaresh (Veena), each representing the depth and diversity of the Carnatic music tradition through their years of performance and pedagogy.
Following the final round of performances, the jury announced the winners across the five categories.
Winners of the Carnatic Quest 2025 are:
Vocal
1. Winner: Hari Kishan Prakash
2. 1st Runner Up: Dhanya Dinesh Rudrapatna
3. 2nd Runner Up: Ramanath U
4. 2nd Runner Up: Suhas Murali
Flute
1. Winner: Sreenidhi Shiruru
2. 1st Runner Up: Aditi Sudarshan
3. 2nd Runner Up: Sanjeev S Navaratna
Violin
1. Winner: Aravind H
2. 1st Runner Up: Saiprasad H
3. 2nd Runner Up: Krishnaa Ajith
4. 2nd Runner Up: G Vijhay Kumar
Veena
1. Winner: Vinayak Vaidyanathan
2. 1st Runner Up: Sangeetha Narayanan
3. 2nd Runner Up: Sridevi MK
4. 2nd Runner Up: Jyothsna Hebber
Percussion
1. Winner: Abhijith Arun
2. 1st Runner Up: Abhiram Nitin
3. 2nd Runner Up: Kaushik Sridhar
4. 2nd Runner Up: Sivasankar Vinayan
“What makes Carnatic Quest special is not just the competition, but the community it builds around young classical artists. This year, we saw participants from across the country bring their own regional influences and individual voices to a shared tradition, and that is exactly what keeps this art form alive and evolving. Through initiatives like Carnatic Quest, we aim to provide emerging musicians with meaningful platforms to present their talent and connect with wider audiences. We are proud to stand behind these artists as they step into the next chapter of their careers,” said Nikhil Soni, Associate General Manager – Marketing, HCL Group.
About the Author
