Shri Kumar Somanath Mardur was born on 6 January 1979 in
Dharwad, Karnataka. He received his initial training in music from
his father Shri Somanath Mardur, senior disciple of Puttaraj Gavai
and Basavraj Rajguru of Kirana gharana, and later learnt under the
tutelage of Firoz Dastoor and Ulhas Kashalkar. He has obtained a
Master's degree in vocal music.
A graded artist of All India Radio, and recipient of scholarships by
the Department of Culture, Government of India, and the Karnataka
State Sangeet Nritya Academy, Bangalore, he has also received the
Mani Mann Fellowship from the Sanskriti Foundation, New Delhi. He
has performed extensively in many prestigious music festivals within
India and abroad. Presently, he is teaching at ITC Sangeet Research
Academy, Kolkata. He has a large number of recordings to his credit.
Shri Kumar Mardur has received many titles and awards including
the Vidyasagar Award conferred by the Music Forum, Mumbai
(2006); the Pt. Ramkrishna Bua Vaze Yuva Puraskar given by the
Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Pune (2007); and the Dr Mallikarjun
Mansur Rashtriya Yuva Puraskar (2010); besides the Pt. Atul Desai
Memorial Award 2014 conferred by SAPTAK, Ahmedabad.
Shri Kumar Mardur is awarded the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva
Puraskar of Sangeet Natak Akademi for the year 2012 for his notable
talent in the field of Hindustani vocal music.