Sri O. S. Vaidyanathan (Arun)

Sri O.S. Vaidyanathan or Arun, as he is more popularly called, is undoubtedly one of the most gifted Carnatic musicians in India. He is known for his sonorous voice that he wields with much confidence and musical personality and which he employs in tandem with his superior stagemanship.


Arun inherits the mantle of singing from a family where music has been a way of life. Arun was given to Carnatic music in the Parivar Parampara, and he began his music lessons under the careful ear of his father Vidwan O.V. Subramaniam. Arun later qualified Alankar Purna from Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. He also topped the Sangeetha Shironmani diploma course in Carnatic music conducted by the Faculty of Music and Fine Arts at Delhi University. Known for its vitality, Arun’s music has combined grace of sound grammar and warmth of feeling. He also has a wide repertoire of songs, which has earned him a keen following.


Arun has performed widely, both in India and abroad. His performances at various festivals include appearances at the India International Centre, the India Habitat Centre, the Vishnu Digambar Festival, the Rasika Ranjani Sabha, Calcutta, the Krishna Gana Sabha, Haridas Sammelan, Mylapore Fine Arts Club, and Kalarasana Chennai, the Badri Kedar Utsav arranged by the UP Cultural Department, ICCR’s Parivar Parampara Series, Sangeet Nrityotsav arranged by the Sangeet Natak Akademi/ICCR, the Sanskriti Festival. London, the World Adelaide Festival, Australia. The International Delima Festival. Mauritius, the 45th Independence Day, Kabul, Afghanistan, the National Centre for Performing Arts, Bombay. He was featured at the Qutub Festival, Delhi. He also performed for the United Nations on the occasion of Human Rights Day. His appearance as Kovalan in an Indian opera staged at the Singapore Art Festival won accolades both by the people and the press. Arun’s trip to Canada every year has given him new directions for collaborative works with Jazz Musicians.


Arun has many CD releases of bhajans, Carnatic music, fusion music and devotional music. He also sings for commercial films and has composed music for private recordings, films, documentaries, and ballet productions. Arun has also established a choir that he is very proud of. The choir maintains the pristine grammar of Carnatic music.