Smt. Vijaya Kishore is an accomplished artiste of Hindusthani (vocal) classical music, hailing from a family of renowned artistes (maternal side). She is the grand-daughter of Sri Kotturappa, a stage actor-singer of repute of the yester years, who was conferred several titles including ‘DhanaVeera Shura Karana’, Gaana Kala Visharada. Naturally she inherited the talent of singing from her grandfather. She was born on 16th May 1961 to Sri K.M. Jagadish Shastri and Smt. Vasanthamma.
She has mellifluous voice. It is astonishing that she started learning Karnataka Music at her tender age of three. At the age of six, she gave her maiden stage performance in Karnataka Classical Music held at Kannada Sahithya Parishath in Bengaluru. As a child prodigy she gave a number of programs and as an adult singer too, she has been giving a number of programs till today. Settled in Bellary after marriage in 1978, she discovered her Guru in Late Sri A.ChandraShekar Gawai who was the best teacher of Hindustani Music and also the best composer, besides leaving behind a host of disciples, including Ms. Subhadramma Mansur, renowned professional stage artiste and vocalist. Thus there was switch over to Hindustani Music.
The tutelage under Sri A.ChandraShekar Gawai went on for 15years. In the meantime, Ms. Vijaya Kishore emerged as one among a very few top class classical singers in the district and also in the surrounding districts. As an Akashvani and Doordarshan Artist, she has given many performances in AIR and Doordarshan.
After the demise of her guru, she established her own music school ‘Suswara Sangeet Vidyalaya’. As the Principal of Suswara Sangeet Vidyalaya she started training students in both light and classical Hindustani Music in ‘Gurukul Paddhati’. The vidyalaya has crossed 10 milestones. She has been celebrating anniversaries of vidyalaya on a large and grand scale by inviting artists from other places besides giving encouragement to her own students to render classical and light songs on many important occasions. Presently she is working as a Music Teacher at Kittur Rani Chennamma High School for Girls, Bellary.
Achievements
Giving classical and light music performances in the prestigious Hampi Utsav, a three-day mega cultural festival of dance, drama and music, organised every year at the world famous Hampi, the erstwhile seat of Vijayanagar empire, Purandara Utsav being held in Hampi Mysore Dasara Utsav, Gadinada Utsav held at D.Hirehal near Bellary, thrice in Bellary Jilla Sahitya Samelana held at Bellary, Mahila Utsav conducted by A.I.M.S.S at Dharwad and Bengaluru and winning accolades has been among her many achievements. Working as a music teacher in VV Sangha’s KitturRani Chennamma High School Bellary.
