Sundara  'To the sound of ankle-bells, veena rendition by Tumburu and Narada, dancing and chanting Ram nam, came to me'.  - Purandara Dasar

The Session of Indian National Congress in December 1927 included an All India Music Conference at the conclusion of which a resolution was passed urging the formation of a permanent institution to promote the cause of music. In pursuance of that resolution, the Music Academy, Madras was founded by the Executive of the Reception Committee & formally inaugurated.
The Academy places the work of organizing periodical conferences in the forefront of its programme. As a body devoted to the higher learning & practice of the art, it brings together all the leading artistes & persons learned in the Sastras & in the Sampradayas. The performances arranged by the Academy on Classical lines have exerted a chastening influence on public taste. It should be specially noted that the Academy was the first institution to introduce in music programmes, the rendering of Tamil compositions in the pre-pallavi part of the concert.
Lectures are delivered by experts in theory on different topics of interest & intricacy and demonstrations are held to illumine the difficult aspects of practice. The Academy has developed among musicians & musicologists of East & West, a growing desire to come together and understand each other's music better. The Academy has been steadily pursuing its plan for recognizing & bringing to light new & undiscovered talent in the sphere of music.
 
 

1929	Shri.T.V.SubbaRao,T.S.SabhesaIyer,M.S.RamaswamyIyer	1964	Shri.Alathur Sivasubramanya Iyer
1930	Shri.Harikesanallur MuthiaBhagavathar	1965	Shri.Srinivasa Iyer
1931	Shri.SwaminathaIyer of Pazhamaneri	1966	Shri.T.S.Mani Iyer
1932	Shri.TigerK.Varadchariar	1968	Smt.M.S.Subbulakshmi
1933	Shri.K.Ponnayya pillai	1969	Shri.Srirangam Iyengar
1934	Shri.T.S.Sabhesa Iyer	1970	Smt.D.K.Pattammal
1935	Shri. K.Vasudevachar	1971	Shri.Papanasam Sivan
1936	Shri.Swaminatha Iyer	1972	Prof.P.Sambamurthy
1937	Shri.Chidambara Bhagavathar	1973	Smt.T.Balasaraswathi
1938	Shri Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar	1974	Shri.R.Anatakrishna Sarma
1939	Shri. Musiri Subramaniya Iyer	1976	Smt.T.Brinda
1940	Shri.Vedanta Bhagavathar	1977	Smt.M.L.Vasanthakumari
1941	Prof.D.Venkataswami Naidu	1978	Shri.Balamurali Krishna
1942	Shri.Subbarama Bhagavathar	1979	Shri.K.S.Narayanasami
1943	Shri.V.Palladam Sanjiva Rao	1980	Shri.T.N.Krishnan
1944	Shri.T.L.Venkatarama Iyer	1981	Shri.T.M.Thyagarajan
1945	Shri.Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer	1982	Shri.Embar Vijayaragavachariar
1947	Shri.Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer	1983	Dr.S.Pinakapani
1948	Shri.Rajamanickam Pillai	1984	Shri.Mysore V.Doreswamy Iyengar
1949	Shri.MudikondanC.Venkatarama Iyer	1985	Dr.S.Ramanathan
1950	Shri.Karur Chinnaswamy Iyer	1986	Shri.K.V.Narayanaswamy
1951	Shri.Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar	1987	Shri.B.Rajam Iyer
1952	Shri.Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer	1988	Shri.T.Viswanathan
1953	Shri.Tirupampuram N.Swaminatha Pillai	1989	Shri.MaharajapuramV.Santhanam
1954	Shri.Chittur Subramanya Pillai	1990	Shri.D.K.Jayaraman
1955	Shri.Marungapuri Gopalakrishna Iyer	1991	Shri.Nedunuri Krishnamurthy
1956	Shri.Thiruvizhimizhalai Subramanya Pillai	1992	Shri.Thanjavur K.P.Sivanandam
1957	Shri.T.Chowdiah	1993	Smt.Mani Krishnaswami
1958	Shri.G.N.Balasubramanyam	1994	Shri.T.K.Murthy
1959	Shri.Madurai Mani Iyer	1995	Shri.R.K.Srikantan
1960	Shri.T.K.Jayarama Iyer	1996	Dr.N.Ramani
1961	Shri.Veerusami Pillai	1997	M.S.Gopalakrishnan
1962	Shri.K.Papa Venkatramiah	1998	Sheik Chinna Moulana
1963	Shri.Budalur Krishnamurthy Sastrigal	1999	T.K. Govinda Rao
		2000	R Vedavalli