Ilaiyaraaja in Melbourne

Ilaiyaraaja is an Indian film composer, conductor, arranger and singer, born in 1943 and best known for his work in Tamil cinema. His music uses Tamil folk traditions, Carnatic music and Western orchestration; major scores include Annakili, Nayakan and Thalapathi, while “Thenpandi Cheemayile” and “Rakkamma Kaiya Thattu” are among his widely recognized songs. In 2013, Ilaiyaraaja presented Raja the Raja at The O2 in London, performing film music with an orchestra and guest singers. The Tamil film industry marked his career through the two-day Ilaiyaraaja 75 celebration in Chennai in 2019, where he performed selections from his catalogue. He later returned to the concert stage with the orchestral programme Rock with Raaja.