Akkarai S Sornalatha is an Indian classical (Carnatic) violinist and vocalist whose soulful music has captivated the hearts of music lovers worldwide. She and her sister Akkarai S Subhalakshmi, renowned as ‘Akkarai Sisters’, hold the unique distinction of being amongst the foremost artistes in the field as both vocal and violin duettists, as well as accompanists for many leading musicians.
Sornalatha hails from a musical family; her grandfather Suchindram Shri S P Sivasubramaniam was a multifaceted genius renowned as a violinist, vocalist, composer, and teacher; and her grandmother Smt R Sornambal was a Harikatha exponent and a music teacher. Sornalatha is the disciple of her father, Akkarai Shri S Swamynathan, a veteran violinist and founder of the Swara Raga Sudha school of music. Under his intensive training, she made her concert debut by the tender age of eight. Sornalatha also trained under Shri O V Subramaniam and his daughter Smt Padma Natesan of New Delhi, and later under Shri P S Narayanaswamy.
Sornalatha’s acclaimed style of playing, characterised by a sweet tone and sensitive fingering, is a confluence of intellect and aesthetics. She has also touched the hearts of many through her vocal music with her soulful and creative style. She has played with several of the top musicians in the field and is known for her skill in blending with the music and enhancing it artfully. She has toured widely in India and abroad, including North America, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, UK, Switzerland, Ireland, Spain, and so on. She has been featured at many presitigous venues, such as a special duet concert with her sister for the Emperor and Empress of Japan and the Chief Minister and Governor of Tamil Nadu in 2013, Kalman Sultanik Confederation House (Israel), Umeå Jazzfestival (Sweden), and so on. She has also given talks and lecture-demonstrations on Carnatic music and Indian classical violin at Trivandrum Music College, Royal Music College in Stockholm (Sweden), and many more. Sornalatha is also a composer with several creatively crafted compositions in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Sanskrit to her credit.
Sornalatha is a gold medalist MA music graduate from the University of Madras and an A-Grade artiste in both vocal and violin at All India Radio and Doordarshan; her many other honours include Kalashree, Sangeetha Bhaskara, Yuva Kala Bharathi, the Vipanchee Award, Isai Chemmal (Trinity Mirror, 2012), the gold medal at the national intercollegiate competition at Kurukshetra (2005-06 academic year), the first prize in the Shanthi Arts Foundation & Endowment’s Ragam Tanam Pallavi competition (2008), the Best Violinist award from the Indian Fine Arts Society (2007), and the Kalki Krishnamurthy Memorial Award (2018). She has also received jointly with her sister the Shanmukha Sangeeta Shiromani from the Shanmukhananda Sabha Mumbai (2009), the Outstanding Vocalist and Senior Best Instrumentalist awards from the Music Academy (2015 & 2022), the Yuva Purandara Award from Indiranagar Sangeetha Sabha, Bangalore (2016), the highly prestigious ‘Kalaimamani’ from the Government of Tamil Nadu (2019), and the Vocational Excellence Award from the Rotary Club of Chennai Presidency (2023).
She has released many duet albums with her sister, such as ‘Ananda Tandavam’, a vocal duet in their early teens, as well as ‘Double Bow’, ‘Inta Saukhyam’, and Charsur’s ‘December Season’ series. A highly sought-after guru, she has benefited students around the world with her knowledge and experience.
She attributes all her success to her gurus, especially her father Akkarai Shri S Swamynathan, who established her as a musician and continues to guide her.