Jayanthi Kumaresh

Jayanthi Kumaresh (born 1969) is an Indian classical musician best known for her mastery of the Saraswati veena. With a performing career of more than forty years, she has given concerts throughout India and abroad, recorded widely, and engaged in research and outreach dedicated to the instrument. Jayanthi holds a postgraduate degree in English literature and a doctorate from the University of Mysore for her analytical study of veena playing styles. She is the youngest veena player to receive an A-Top grading from All India Radio, the highest classification awarded to performing artists in India

Her web series Cup O’ Carnatic (2016 – present) offers brief introductions to ragas and compositional forms and has received several million views. A stage version of the series, combining music, animation, and storytelling, was presented in Bengaluru (2024) and Chennai (2025).

Jayanthi received the Government of India’s Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2022 and the Sangeet Shikhar Samman from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, New Delhi, in 2019