Ace performer and composer, Shubhendra Rao is a brilliant light upholding the tradition of the sitar. A protégé of world-renowned maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar, Rao gives inspired performances that are reminiscent of his guru yet uniquely his own. Through years of rigorous training and practice under his illustrious guru, Rao achieved a firm foundation from which he could explore the world of music and build his own musical persona.
Both in his role as a performer as well as a composer, Rao creates an experience for his audience that ranges from the introspective to the resounding. Recently, he was named Youth Icon for [Indian] Classical Music by Zee Network.
One of India’s leading artists today, Roa has performed at some of the world’s most prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall and on Broadway in New York City, Theatre de la Ville in Paris, the WOMAD festival at Guernsey in England, National Arts Festival in South Africa, Walker Arts Center in Minneapolis, Des Moines Civic Center and Esplanade in Singapore, among others. He has performed at major music festivals in India, including the Doverlane Conference, ITC Music Conference in Kolkata, Baba Harvallabh Sangeet Mahasabha in Jullandhar, Shankarlal Festival, Gunidas Sammelan in New Delhi, SAPTAK Festival in Ahmedabad and Vasantahabba Festival in Bangalore.
He has been invited as a guest teacher to give lecture-demonstrations about Indian music by leading universities worldwide. His international tours have taken him to the United States, Canada, South Africa, England, Ireland, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Hungary, Belgium and many Asian countries.
A child prodigy who started playing the sitar at the age of 3, Rao had as his first teacher his father, N.R.Rama Rao, a noted and close disciple of Pandit Ravi Shankar. Shubhendra had his first lesson from the maestro at the age of 8 and in the ensuing years, he traveled the country to continue his learning.
At the age of 18, he moved to Delhi to live with and learn from his guru in the true guru-shishya tradition. The years that followed were a period of introspective and creative metamorphosis. Ravi Shankar nurtured Rao’s innate talents and gave him a deep insight into what it entails to become a complete artist, as only he could. An important part of his learning was assisting his guru in solo concerts and orchestral performances such as Live in Kremlin and Ghanashyam in the United Kingdom and India.
A regular performer on radio and the national television, he is one of the very few artists to invited to audition by All India Radio and given an A grade. His CDs, which have been released by leading music companies worldwide, have received rave reviews from the press.
Well-known as a composer, Rao distinguishes himself by working with musicians across cultures. Recently, he performed his composition “Nautch” on Broadway (at New Victory Theater), commissioned by Ragamala Music and Dance Theater, Minneapolis. A new musical language titled “East Marries West,” which he has developed with his cellist wife, Saskia Rao de Haas, has held audiences worldwide spellbound. His innovative work with jazz guitarist Freddie Bryant and his group Kaleidoscope has been received with great gusto everywhere it has been performed. Rao has composed for and worked with Japanese singer Ryoko Moriyama, jazz flutist James Newton and Chinese pipa player Gao Hong, among others.
Rao lives in New Delhi with his wife and son. He performs extensively and continues to be deeply involved in experimenting with new musical idioms, creating and teaching music.
Please note: Biographies are based on information provided to the CSOA by the artists or their representatives. More current information may be available on websites of the artists or their management.
