Lakshminarayana Subramaniam (born 23 July 1947), known as L. Subramaniam, is an Indian violinist, composer and conductor. Trained in the Carnatic classical tradition of South India and in Western classical music, he is known for his dazzling technique and for bringing the two worlds together. He has played with musicians such as Yehudi Menuhin, Stéphane Grappelli and Herbie Hancock, written works for major orchestras and composed for films. He received the Padma Vibhushan in 2025.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Lakshminarayana Subramaniam |
| Born | 23 July 1947, Madras (now Chennai), India |
| Age | 79 |
| Instrument | Violin |
| Genres | Carnatic classical, Western classical, fusion |
| Education | Madras Medical College (M.B.B.S.); California Institute of the Arts (M.A.) |
| Father | V. Lakshminarayana |
| Spouse | Viji Subramaniam (d. 1995); Kavita Krishnamurti (m. 1999) |
| Honours | Padma Shri (1988), Padma Bhushan (2001), Padma Vibhushan (2025) |
Early Life
Subramaniam was born in Madras to V. Lakshminarayana, a violinist and teacher, and Seethalakshmi, a singer and veena player. He spent his early childhood in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, where his father taught music, and began learning the violin from him before he was five. He gave his first public performance at six. The family returned to Madras in 1958. With his brothers L. Vaidyanathan and L. Shankar he performed as a violin trio. He also studied medicine, qualifying as a doctor at Madras Medical College, before choosing music. He then took a master’s degree in Western classical music at the California Institute of the Arts.
Career
Subramaniam’s father had worked to make the violin a solo instrument in Carnatic music, not just an accompaniment to singers, and his son completed that change. He accompanied leading vocalists as a young man and became one of the most sought-after soloists in South Indian music, performing often with the mridangam master Palghat Mani Iyer.
From the 1970s he worked with Western musicians. He toured with Ravi Shankar and George Harrison in 1974, recorded with the jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli and the classical violinist Yehudi Menuhin, and made fusion albums such as Fantasy Without Limits and Conversations. His orchestral works include the Fantasy on Vedic Chants, performed with the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta in 1985, and the Global Symphony. Orchestras in Europe, the United States and Asia have played his compositions.
He composed the scores for Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay! (1988) and Mississippi Masala (1991) and played the violin solos in Bernardo Bertolucci’s Little Buddha (1993).
In 1992 he founded the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival in memory of his father; it is held each year in India and in cities abroad. He and his wife have also set up a music academy in Bengaluru.
Personal Life
His first wife, Viji, a singer, died in 1995. In 1999 he married the playback singer Kavita Krishnamurti. His children Bindu, Narayana and Ambi Subramaniam are all musicians, and Ambi often performs with him on the violin.
Awards and Honours
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was L. Subramaniam born?
L. Subramaniam was born on 23 July 1947 in Madras (now Chennai), India and is 79 years old.
What honours has L. Subramaniam received?
Padma Shri (1988), Padma Bhushan (2001), Padma Vibhushan (2025).
Featured image: L. Subramaniam performs in Kolkata, 4 December 2015. Photo by Sukanta Pal, licensed under CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
