U. Rajesh - Mandolin Concert

Date: Sunday November 16, 2025

Time: 4:00 - 6:00pm

Location: Marian Hall, 5632 Sunrise Drive, Fort Myers. FL 33919

Register Today:

Ancestry and Childhood

Uppalappu Rajesh (born May 17, 1977), known professionally as Mandolin U. Rajesh, is an Indian musician renowned for his unique style in both classical Carnatic and fusion genres. As the younger brother of Padma Shri Mandolin U. Shrinivas, his early exposure to the music industry proved invaluable, paving the way for his worldwide success.


Rajesh has received critical acclaim and is widely regarded as one of the greatest mandolin players. In addition to his mastery of the instrument, he is also a composer, arranger, and record producer.

Born in Palakollu, Andhra Pradesh, U. Rajesh moved to Chennai with his family at the age of six. His musical journey began under the guidance of his father, U. Sathyanarayana, who was active in the entertainment industry, From a young age, Rajesh was immersed in rigorous training, with daily practice and lessons from his father and brother.


Rajesh gave his first concert at the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, performing in the presence of Shri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi Swamigal. He is also deeply connected to Sri Sathya Sai Baba and has had the honor of performing before him on several occasions.


Career
Rajesh has collaborated with several top musicians worldwide and has performed at prestgious venues across the globe. He has given concerts for BBC Live in London, performed at Melbourne Concert Hall, and played at Cité de la Musique in Paris.

His musical journey has taken him to Canada, the Middle East, the United States, Greece, and numerous countries across Europe. He has also performed live with the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra (alongside Dominique Di Piazza) and the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra.
In early 2008, Mandolin U. Rajesh received a call from Maestro John McLaughlin to play on his album Floating Point, which was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2009—a crucial milestone in Rajesh’s career. Further cementing their collaboration, John McLaughlin invited Rajesh once again to perform at the Remember Shakti concert in Bangalore in 2018.

He has recorded over a dozen albums, including notable collaborations such as

Coromandel Duet (featuring A.K. Palanivel) and Spirits & Into the Light (with Vikku Vinayakaram).

Throughout his career, he extensively performed alongside his guru and elder brother, U. Shrinivas, and collaborated with legendary musicians such as Ustad Zakir Hussain,

Ustad Sultan Khan, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Shankar Mahadevan, Hariharan, Louis Banks, Ranjit Barot, Mike Marshall, and multi-percussionists Sivamani, Pete Lockett, Karsh Kale, Greg Ellis, Bickram Ghosh, Kamal Sabri, Niladri Kumar, and more.


Mandolin – The instrument

The mandolin is a versatile instrument that brings a distinctive style to Carnatic music, with an impressive acoustic range of three complete octaves.

As a child, U. Shrinivas modified a standard 8-string electric mandolin into a 5-string mandolin, tuning it to CGCGC. He replaced the traditional four pairs of strings with four single strings and added a fifth string for the bass (Mandra Sthayi).

This unique adaptation, now widely used by musicians worldwide, is popularly referred to as the "U. Shrinivas Mandolin."

Philanthropy

Mandolin U. Rajesh is one of the directors of the Shrinivas Institute of World Music (SIOWM), which was founded by his elder brother. SIOWM offers free music classes to students both in India and abroad. This noble initiative, started by his brother decades ago, continues to be carried forward by Rajesh. The students benefit from Rajesh’s selfless teaching, with the maestro himself guiding them.


In addition to his musical contributions, Rajesh is deeply committed to humanitarian causes. He performs at numerous charity shows every year, and his Healing Mandolin series and fundraisers during the recent pandemic have helped many musicians overcome the challenges of lockdowns.


Accolades

Mandolin U. Rajesh was the youngest participant at the Magic Mandolin Festival in Germany during the 1980s. He is also credited with a notable performance at the Lincoln Center. His 2006 performance in New York was voted among the best concerts of the year by The New Yorker magazine.


In April 2007, Rajesh was specially honored by the President of India for his contributions to music. In 2024, he was awarded the ‘Isai Chemmal’ award by the Tamil Cultural Academy for his outstanding contributions to the field. He has also been honored with the titles of ‘Astana Vidwan of Kanchi’ and ‘Astana Vidwan of Sringeri’ by the respective matams.

Swaminathan Selvaganesh is a renowned percussionist hailing from a family of world-class musicians. Born into a musical dynasty, he is the grandson of Grammy Award winner T H Vikku Vinayakram and the son of

V Selvaganesh, both prominent figures in the world of Indian percussion.

Growing up surrounded by music, Swaminathan began his journey in

South Indian percussion at a very young age, receiving training from his grandfather.

At the age of 11, Swaminathan started performing concerts, showcasing his exceptional talent and mastery of various percussion instruments such as kanjira, ghatam, mridangam, morsing, and more. His

virtuosity on these instruments quickly gained recognition, and he became an integral part of his family's musical legacy. Together with his father and grandfather, they made history as the first family to perform on stage with three generations of musicians.

Swaminathan Selvaganesh has performed at esteemed festivals such as the White Light Festival by Lincoln Center NYC, Stanford Jazz Festival at Stanford, World Rhythm Festival in Muscat, Indo-Spain Festival in Madrid, Leon, and Valladolid, Indo-Korea Festival in Seoul and Busan, and the Oz

Asia Festival in Australia, among others. His performances have enthralled audiences worldwide, making him a sought-after percussionist on the global stage.

More Upcoming Events: