Ilaiyaraaja

On 11 July 2026 at Wembley Arena (Engineers Way, Wembley), Ilaiyaraaja takes the stage. Indian film composer, singer and lyricist rooted in Tamil cinema, he has shaped South Indian soundtracks since Annakili (1976), blending Tamil folk and Carnatic tradition with Western harmony and counterpoint. His writing leans on strings, layered lines and clear orchestral architecture, with detours through rock, jazz and film-pop. Beyond Tamil films, his work stretches across Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi; outside the screen, he’s signed the instrumental albums How to Name It? (1986) and Nothing But Wind (1988), and the large-scale Thiruvasagam in Symphony (2006).

Trained in Western classical music and a classical guitar graduate of Trinity College of Music in London, Ilaiyaraaja also conducts and arranges with measured precision. On stage, he revisits key themes and songs in expanded versions for orchestra and ensemble, letting rhythm patterns from the south meet choral colors and detailed string writing. The concert traces decades of compositions and scores in a live setting that puts melody, counterpoint and groove at the center.