Dr Mani Krishnaswamy Academy in Mangaluru has presented 500 classical music concerts on social media platforms since the outbreak of the pandemic.
“It is unprecedented. The average reach of each concert was 20,000 views. Some got more than two lakh views,” says Nityananda Rao, convenor.
The academy hosted at least two concerts a day. About 600 musicians from across the world presented Carnatic and Hindustani music on the organisation’s Facebook page.
Among those who performed are 86-year-old Neela Ramgopal and 11-year-old Nandan Ramakrishnan, Vidyabhushana, Chitravina N Ravikiran, Gayathri Venkataraghavan, R Suryaprakash, Kunnakudi Balamuralikrishna, Nisha Rajagopal, Amrita Murali, Vishnudev K S, Sriranjani Santhanagopalan, Spoorthi Rao and Prarthana Sai Narasimhan.
The academy has paid an honorarium to every artiste, with contributions from listeners.