Music critic Dr M Surya Prasad has been elected president of the 51st national music conference of Bangalore Gayana Samaja.
He will be honoured with the title of 'Sangeetha Kalarathna' and given a cash prize of Rs 50,000 on December 12, when the eight-day conference concludes.
Gayana Samaja is a prestigious 116-old music organisation.
This year's edition is dedicated to composer S Krishnamurthy, whose birth centenary is being observed in 2021. He was station director of the Bengaluru station of All India Radio.
Surya Prasad says he would like the conference "to bring to light young talent in musicology".
He believes classical music is thriving in Bengaluru. "Many software engineers are quitting their jobs to pursue music," he told Metrolife.
The conference will be held from December 5 to 12, Gayana Samaja, K R Road.