Krishnaveni music festival kicks off in Vijayawada on December 6

Minister for Tourism, Culture and Cinematography Kandula Durgesh will inaugurate a two-day cultural festival, Krishnaveni Sangeetha Neerajanam, at Tummalapalli Kalakshetram in Vijayawada on Saturday (December 6).

The event is being organised by the Union Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, the Sangeet Natak Akademi and supported by Andhra Pradesh Tourism and the Department of Culture, Government of Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, Regional Director (South) of the Ministry of Tourism D. Venkatesan said this year’s theme, “Celebrating the Richness of Telugu Music Traditions,” aims to strengthen Andhra Pradesh’s cultural identity, promote music tourism, support artisans and weavers, and position Vijayawada as a premier Carnatic music destination.

A total of 18 concerts featuring 98 artistes will be presented over two days. A special dawn rendition of the Pancharatna Kritis will be held at Durga Ghat on December 7 at 7 a.m., led by the Malladi Brothers along with faculty and students of Government Music Colleges from Vijayawada and Guntur, reflecting the festival’s spirit of community participation.

To ensure state-wide participation, three prelude concerts were held at culturally significant temples of Srikalahasti (November 29), Simhachalam (December 1) and Srisailam (December 2).

An exhibition of GI-tagged and traditional crafts and textiles of Andhra Pradesh will showcase Kondapalli toys, Etikoppaka lacquerware, Udayagiri wooden cutlery, leather puppetry, Narsapur lace and celebrated handloom clusters including Mangalagiri, Venkatagiri, Chirala, Uppada and Moragudi.

The festival will be live-streamed on the official YouTube channel of the Ministry of Tourism (https://youtube.com/@ministryoftourismgoi?si=6oS9sJuiKXVtISCS). Entry to all events is free and open to the public. The programme schedule is available at krishnavenimusicfest.com.