Smt. Kalpakam Swaminathan had her initial training in Carnatic Music from her mother Smt. Abhayambal. Later she was taught by many stalwarts such as Musiri Subramania Iyer, Kallidaikurichi Ananthakrishnaiyer, T.L.Venkatarama Iyer, Budalur Krishnamurthy Sastrigal, Tiger Varadachariar and Mysore Vasudevachar. Her veena technique represents the Thanjavur baani or style in which the musical nuances and gamakas are vocalized, resulting in instrumental music in its highest form. Now in her eighties, Smt. Kalpakam Swaminathan has been performing and teaching veena for well over six decades now. She is an A Grade artiste of AIR. She has been a teaching faculty in Kalakshetra and was professor of veena in Tamilnadu Government Music College.

She has many awards and titles to her credit. Notable among them are Sangeetha Natak Academy Award from President of India, Sangeetha Kala Acharya title of Madras Music Academy, Kalaimamani title from Tamilnadu Governement and Acharya Choodamani Award from Krishna Gana Sabha.

In this concert she is accompanied on the veena by her niece Smt. S.R. Padmavathy who has been learning veena from her for three decades Smt.Padmavathy is the daughter of musician N.Rajagopalan. She is an AIR Gold medalist in veena and a B high grade artiste and has performed and taught in India and abroad. The hallmark of this concert is the exquisite rendition of Hamirkalyani followed by a masterpiece of Muthuswamy Dikshithar 'Parimala Rangapathe'.