A.R. Rahman to inaugurate Music Academy’s 99th annual festival

The 99^th annual music festival of the Music Academy at Chennai, scheduled to begin on December 15, 2025, will be inaugurated by music composer and Oscar Award winner A.R. Rahman.

“He is an icon of music. We decided to invite him because he is a renowned music composer and Oscar Award winner. He has knowledge across a wide range of music, including Carnatic music,” said N. Murali, president of the Music Academy.

The inauguration will also mark the election of R.K. Shriramkumar, the Sangita Kalanidhi designate, as the president of the annual conferences and concerts of the Academy. This year marks the 250^th anniversary of Muthuswami Dikshitar, one of the trinities of Carnatic music, and Mr. Shriramkumar is an authority on Dikshitar’s compositions.

The Academy has long debated the importance of film music and its appeal to both the general public and connoisseurs.

“We must certainly not underestimate its power and the fact that it is not only the predominant music of India today, but that it is slowly overtaking traditional art music,” said flautist T. Viswanathan in 1988, in his address as the Sangita Kalanidhi designate. Mr. Rahman has composed numerous film songs based on Carnatic ragas.

Director and cinematographer Rajiv Menon, who has worked closely with Mr. Rahman, said he was an appropriate person to inaugurate the event, as he has been at the forefront not just of Indian music, but global music, creating compositions across languages and geographies by integrating Indian classical music with folk and Sufi elements seamlessly blended with contemporary Western musical styles.

“Rahman made Indian popular music a pan-Indian phenomenon. He has stayed relevant for more than 30 years by adapting himself to the changing tastes of the creators, audience and advances in technology. From Kodambakkam to Mumbai to Hollywood, he remains a powerhouse of music. It is not a small achievement. He is both a student and a teacher, and his music school continues to train scores of aspiring musicians,” Mr. Rajiv Menon said.