Arjun Narayanan (right) and Ashvath Karthik during a training session. Photo courtesy of the artists
Arjun Narayanan
South Asian Mrudangam
Arjun Narayanan began his training in Carnatic music at the age of nine with vocal lessons from Smt. Radha Kalyan, a student of the late Shri Thanjavur S. Kalyanaraman, in Sydney, Australia. His initial training in mrudangam, a double-headed drum, began a year later under Shri Vallish Herur, a student of Bangalore N. G. Ravi. He later moved to Irvine, California, where he continued vocal lessons with Smt. Padma Kutty and subsequently had the good fortune to continue his laya (rhythmic structures) training under the tutelage of Shri. Neyveli R. Narayanan. Arjun continues to receive advanced training and guidance from Neyveli Narayanan to this day.
Narayanan has been performing in concerts since 2005 and has accompanied numerous distinguished artists over the years. He has performed in many cities across the United States and Canada, as well as in Chennai during the December music season. He has also actively taught mrudangam and aspects of laya to students in Southern California for over 21 years, and some of his students are award-winning performers in their own right. Arjun completed his undergraduate studies in chemistry at the University of California, Irvine, and earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Southern California. He currently works in the pharmaceutical industry as Director of Business Development for Curia Global.
Apprenticeship Program
2026
South Asian Mrudangam with apprentice Ashvath Karthik
Ashvath Karthik will train under Arjun Narayanan in advanced mrudangam within the South Indian classical tradition of Carnatic music. Arjun will guide Ashvath in strengthening rhythmic precision, tonal clarity, improvisation, complex rhythmic patterns, traditional repertoire, and accompaniment techniques for both vocal and instrumental concerts. Through this apprenticeship, Ashvath will refine his ability to respond intuitively in live performance settings and deepen his skills as an accompanist while carrying forward the rich traditions of Carnatic percussion.
