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L. Subramaniam Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 29, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth23 July 1947

Age77 Years

BirthplaceMadras, Madras Presidency, British India (now Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India)

ProfessionViolinist, Composer, Multi-instrumentalist, Arranger, Record producer, Pedagogue

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseKavita Krishnamurthy

FamilyFather: V. Lakshminarayana; Mother: Seethalakshmi; Children: Dr. Narayana Subramaniam, Ambi Subramaniam, Gingger Shankar, Bindu Subramaniam, Sai Prashant Krishnamurthy

L. Subramaniam Biography

L. Subramaniam is an Indian violinist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist celebrated for his work across Carnatic, Western classical, jazz fusion, and世界-f

Early life and background

Subramaniam Lakshminarayana, known professionally as L. Subramaniam and affectionately called "Mani," was born on 23 July 1947 in Madras (now Chennai), in what was then the Madras Presidency of British India. The fifth of six children, he grew up in a musical household: his father, V. Lakshminarayana, was a Carnatic violinist and his mother, Seethalakshmi, sang and played the veena. Subramaniam began studying music before the age of five while his family lived for a time in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, learning the violin from his father and making his stage debut at six.

The family returned to India following anti-Tamil riots in 1956. Subramaniam later pursued formal education that included medical studies at Madras Medical College (M.B.B.S.) and a master's degree in Western classical music from the California Institute of the Arts.

Career

Subramaniam's professional recording career began in 1973 and has encompassed a wide stylistic range: classical Carnatic music, Western classical, jazz fusion, Indo-jazz, and world fusion. He is a violinist first and foremost, but also works as a composer, arranger, record producer, pedagogue and multi-instrumentalist, adding percussion, synthesizers and vocals to his palette. Over the decades he has been credited on more than two hundred recordings, including solo albums and collaborations with leading international and Indian musicians.

He earned early recognition in 1963 with the President's Award for Best Violinist from All India Radio and has since accumulated an extensive list of honours culminating most recently in 2025 with the Padma Vibhushan in Art (Karnataka). Other notable milestones include a Grammy nomination in 1981, the Padma Shri in 1988 and the Padma Bhushan in 2001. In 1972 he received the title "Violin Chakravarthy" from the Governor of Madras; Western commentators later likened him to the "Paganini of the Indian violin."

Subramaniam has collaborated with a wide range of musicians from different traditions. He has recorded and performed with Yehudi Menuhin, Stéphane Grappelli, Ruggiero Ricci, Jean-Pierre Rampal and others, and shared stages with Herbie Hancock, Joe Sample, Jean-Luc Ponty, Stanley Clarke, John Handy and George Harrison. Within India he frequently performed with leading vocalists and accompanied virtuoso percussionists such as Palghat Mani Iyer.

His compositional work spans concert music, film scores and cross-cultural projects. He wrote a Double Concerto for violin and flute in 1983 that blends Western scales with micro-interval elements, and composed Spring–Rhapsody as a tribute to Bach and Baroque forms. Large-scale collaborations include Fantasy on Vedic Chants with the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Turbulence with the Swiss Romande Orchestra, The Concert of Two Violins with the Oslo Philharmonic and Global Symphony with the Berlin State Opera. He also toured China with the Beijing Symphony Orchestra.

Film and stage projects form part of his output. He composed songs for Salaam Bombay (1988) and Mississippi Masala (1991), appeared as a violin soloist in Little Buddha (1993) and was involved in Merchant-Ivory’s Cotton Mary (1999). Dance companies such as the San Jose Ballet and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater have used his music; in 2014 he wrote the stage presentation "Shanti Priya" for the Mariinsky Ballet. He is also the author of a book titled Euphony, published in 1999.

Public profile

In 1992 Subramaniam founded the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival (LGMF) as a tribute to his father, who died in 1990. Built around themes including Violins for Peace and Sounds of India, the festival has presented prominent Indian and international artists and by 2018 had been staged in more than fifty-five countries. The festival has been a vehicle for cross-genre collaboration and for bringing Indian classical music to global audiences.

Subramaniam has served in advisory and educational roles as well, including association with A. R. Rahman's KM Music Conservatory in Kodambakkam, Chennai. He has continued to perform internationally, presenting works such as The Freedom Symphony with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra and others in 2007, and appearing as a Special Guest Artist at a United Nations event in 2012 alongside Stevie Wonder.

Personal life

Subramaniam comes from a musical family that includes brothers L. Shankar (Shenkar) and the late L. Vaidyanathan, both musicians, and uncles Ramnad Raghavan and Ramnad Krishnan. He was married first to Vijayashree (Viji) Subramaniam, a trained singer and broadcaster who died in 1995; they had four children: sons Dr. Narayana Subramaniam and Ambi Subramaniam, and daughters Gingger Shankar and Bindu Subramaniam. He later married singer Kavita Krishnamurthy in November 1999; the couple have one child together, Sai Prashant Krishnamurthy.

Latest updates

A long list of awards and honours across five decades reflects Subramaniam's sustained impact on both Indian and global music scenes. In 2025 he received the Padma Vibhushan in Art (Karnataka), adding to earlier national and international recognitions. He remains known for bridging musical traditions through performance, composition and festival-building.
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Recent Work

Euphony

Book released in 1999 authored by L. Subramaniam.

1999
Global Fusion

Music album released in 1999 that received critical acclaim.

1999
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Career Highlights

  1. Founded the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival (LGMF) in 1992; festival held in over 55 countries by 2018
  2. Composed a Double Concerto for violin and flute (1983) blending Western scales with micro-interval forms
  3. Over 200 recordings as a performer and collaborator across classical, fusion and world music
  4. Recipient of major honours including Padma Shri (1988), Padma Bhushan (2001) and Padma Vibhushan in Art (Karnataka) (2025)
  5. Grammy nomination in 1981 and numerous international collaborations with leading orchestras and artists
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was L. Subramaniam born?

23 July 1947

What is L. Subramaniam known for?

Violinist, Composer, Multi-instrumentalist, Arranger, Record producer, Pedagogue

What is L. Subramaniam’s marital status?

Married

Who is L. Subramaniam married to?

Kavita Krishnamurthy