Kishori Amonkar (Marathi: किशोरी आमोणकर) (born April 10, 1931) is a noted Indian classical vocalist. She sings khyal in the Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana style.
Kishori Amonkar's singing style and vocal improvisations are full of surprises and unpredictability. She has the ability to bring a smile to the listener's face. — Ken Hunt , All Music Guide
Early life and background
Kishori Amonkar was born in Mumbai to Mogubai Kurdikar, a renowned classical vocalist and Madhavdas Bhatiya. She has a sister and a brother. An article on her mother by noted music critic Ramkrishna Bakre mentions that Kishori's father died when she was very young but does not mention the father's name.
Singing career
Kishori Amonkar quickly imbibed the nuances of the difficult Jaipur-Atrauli gharana of music. She has developed her own style which emphasizes the emotional content of musical notes while maintaining the rigor of the Jaipur "gaayaki" (singing style). Music critic Vamanrao Deshpande, who was also her guru-bandhu, had hailed her as one of the greatest artists of 20th century. She has dabbled more in lighter forms of music than the earlier generations of Jaipur Gharana musicians.
Disciples
Manik Bhide, Padma Talwalkar, Arun Dravid, Raghunandan Panshikar, Meera Panshikar, Nandini Bedekar, Vidya Bhagwat, Maya Upadhyaya, granddaughter Tejashree Amonkar, and violinist Milind Raikar are some of Kishori Amonkar's disciples.
Personal life
Amonkar was married to Ravi Amonkar, a school teacher. He died around 1992. She has two sons, neither of whom took to music.
