Pandit Shubhendra Rao (sitar) is an internationally acclaimed performer, composer, cultural entrepreneur and music educator. A protégé of Pandit Ravi Shankar, Shubhendra Rao through his relentless service in promoting Indian music has become a highly respected figure in this genre and in education worldwide.
As a composer, he pushes the boundaries of classical music across cultures, composing and collaborating with Chinese pipa maestro Gao Hong, American jazz guitarist Freddie Bryant, Japanese singer Ryoko Moriyama, the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra and the Chinese National Orchestra, among others.
He is also the founding director of Musikul Education Pvt. Ltd. and co-founder of the Shubhendra and Saskia Rao Foundation, together with his wife, Dutch cellist Saskia Rao-de Haas. They have transformed the way music is taught in schools in India. Together, they created Sangeet4All, India’s first early childhood music education curriculum, which has reached more than 80,000 children to date.
As the Indian delegate of the Creative Youth Development Conference, hosted by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, he collaborates with an international team of experts on creating effective international policies on child and youth arts education. Shubhendra Rao is the first recipient of the Atal Behari Vajpayee National Award for his contribution to art and culture and the 2019 recipient of the prestigious Art Karat Award for Excellence for his contribution in the field of arts.
August 2025
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.
