Kumar Somanath Mardur

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.