Founder / Faculty
Kedar Naphade
Kedar Naphade is a globally renowned concert Harmonium player, an exponent of Indian classical, semi-classical and devotional music.
Rigorous Training in Traditional “Guru-Shishya parampara”
Kedar Naphade received preliminary training in Hindustani Classical Music from his grandfather, Shri Dadasaheb Naphade and from Shri Arvind Gajendragadkar. Since the age of 9, he has been a disciple of Late Pt. Tulsidas Borkar, arguably the greatest harmonium player of our times. Kedar has also had the privilege of training from Late Smt. Padmavati Shaligram-Gokhale, a veteran singer of the Atrauli-Jaipur gharana.
Kedar’s music derives inspiration from the character of the traditional Hindustani vocal art form, as well as the dexterous harmonium wizardry of Pt. Borkar’s guru, P. Madhukar, a true genius, and pioneer in harmonium performance technique.
In addition to classical music, Kedar also plays the semi-classical forms of Marathi Natyasangeet (Stage Music), Bhajans, Thumri, Dhun etc.
Performance Career:
Kedar has had a critically acclaimed performance career over several decades. He has performed harmonium solo, has performed with acclaimed vocalists and ensembles at numerous concerts in India, Europe and in the U.S.
This includes prestigious festivals and venues such as the Alladiya Khan Smruti Samaroha, Mumbai, Dadar Matunga Cultural Center in Mumbai, The Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai, The Lincoln Center in New York, The Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C., California Theater in San Jose, CA etc. His music has been featured on television and radio in India, Europe and the US, including the National Public Radio in the US.
He has collaborated on stage with great luminaries of Indian music such as his guru Smt. Padmavati Shaligram-Gokhale, Pt. Firoz Dastur, Pt. Jasraj, Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty, Smt. Veena Sahasrabuddhe, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Smt. Prabha Atre, Smt. Laxmi Shankar, Smt. Ashwini Bhide, Smt. Arati Ankalikar, Pt. Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, Pt. Swapan Chaudhari, Pt. Anindo Chatterjee, Smt. Kaushiki Chakraborty, Pt. Mahesh Kale and many others.
Educator & Speaker:
Kedar is reputed to be a very effective teacher and speaker on Indian classical music and The Harmonium. Several of his students are already receiving critical acclaim in their performances as professional concert harmonium artists.
Kedar has been invited to conduct workshops, lecture demonstrations and master classes at several august institutions such as The Berklee College of Music in Boston, University of Mumbai, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The Mason Gross College of Music at Rutgers University in NJ, Columbia University in NY, Lehigh University in PA and several others.
Kedar continues to maintain an active concert schedule and teach the next generation of harmonium players in the US and Canada.