Kadri Gopalnath was once a young boy, captivated and enthralled by the euphonious tunes emanating from a shiny saxophone as he watched a musician in the Mysore Palace Band. He has, since then, come a long - long way to master the very same instrument, adapting it in ways that were before unheard of taking Carnatic Music to epic heights. Born on 6th December 1948 in a humble family in Panemangalore, Karnataka, Gopalnath found himself exposed to music at an early age is the son of SMT. GANGAMMA and SRI. THANIYAPPAYA who was a Nadhaswaram Vidwan himself. Under the tutelage and guidance of gurus like Gopalkrishna Iyer, T. V. Gopalakrishnan and Sir Balakrishna Pillai; Gopalnath journeyed the path from learning the basics to understanding composers of Carnatic music and Kritis and raagas, to creating music of his own. It wasn't until early 1980 that Gopalnath realized the true potential of his talent. He received the kamban pugazh award for the year 2018 given by All Ceylon Kamban Society, Sri Lanka. He received the Sangeetha Kalasikhamani award for the year 2013. He received an honorary doctorate from Bangalore University in 2004. Dr. Kadri Gopalnath is an Indian Saxophonist. He is one of the pioneers of Carnatic music on the saxophone. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer has acknowledged Kadri Gopalnath as a true Carnatic music genius. Gopalnath learned to play the instrument under Gopalkrishna Iyer of Kalaniketana, Mangalore. In Madras, Gopalnath came in contact with the Mridangist TV Gopalkrishnan. His maiden performance was for the Chembai Memorial Trust. The 1980 Bombay Jazz Festival was a turning point for Gopalnath. John Handy, a jazz musician from California was present at the festival. Hearing Gopalnath play, Handy asked if he could go on stage and perform alongside him. So well did the two mesh, Handy in the jazz style and Gopalnath in the Carnatic style. It became an instant hit with the audience. Gopalnath has participated in the Jazz Festival in Prague. He also participated in the Berlin Jazz Festival and my others. He has cut many albums and has recorded many cassettes and CDs. Together with jazz flutist James Newton, he recorded Southern Brothers. His production called 'East-West' is a fusion of Western and Indian music. Film director K. Balachander used Gopalnath's services in his Tamil film Duet. He is the most cherished being the Asthana Vidwan of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Pettam. He got the Padma Shri in 2004.