| Honorific Prefix: | Mridangam Vidvan |
| Birth Place: | Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Nationality: | Indian |
| Alma Mater: | University of Madras |
| Known For: | Mridangam Carnatic Music |
| Style: | Embellishing and Highlighting the music |
K. Arun Prakash is a Carnatic musician, percussionist and composer who is known for playing the Mridangam.
K. Arun Prakash, born in 1968 in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India, is the son of music composer Kalai Mamani L. Krishnan and Vasantha Krishnan. He began studying the mridangam at the age of nine under the guidance of Kalaimamani Ramanathapuram M.N. Kandaswamy, a disciple of the legendary mridangam maestro Palani M. Subramania Pillai.[1]
Arun Prakash developed a strong interest in the mridangam and began performing in concerts at the age of 11 after two years of training. He has since performed internationally and has received various awards for his contributions to music.
1984 - First prize from Shri Krishna Gana Sabha during their Gokhulashtami Series
1994 - Vishwapriya Award for excellence
1996 - Yuva Kala Bharathi from Bharat Kalachar Chennai.
2000 - Kalki Memorial Award from Kalki Krishnamurthy Trust (the first percussionist to receive the same).[2]
1994, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2013 - Best Mridangist prizes from Music Academy Chennai, Tamil Nadu India
2012 - Vani Kala Nipuna award from Shri Thyaga Brahma Gana Saba (Vani Mahal).
Arun Prakash has also participated in jugal bandhis and musical encounter concerts with American artists and Hindustani musicians organized by ICCR and Sampradaya Chennai.He has worked on devotional recordings and has also composed the theme music for the millennium show presented by the YACM for The Music Academy on 31 December 1999.
Rendezvous with Arunprakash Krishnan - a conversation recorded in Cupertino, CA, Nov 2015