Pandit Sudhir Nayak

A disciple of the harmonium maestro and Guru Pandit Tulsidas Borkar, Nayak has also acquired training in the nuances of Hindustani Raag Sangeet from the noted vocalist, composer and Guru Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki. Primarily trained in the Hindustani music tradition, he has also studied various other genres of Indian music and is the recipient of multiple awards.

He has accompanied the stalwarts of Indian classical music, and his performances are regularly featured on Indian television and commercial recordings. He has recorded, commercially produced and composed music with and for record labels and films. At the Golden Jubilee of India’s Independence, Nayak and Pandit Bhimsen Joshi performed at the Central Hall of the Parliament of India.

His love for the harmonium knows no bounds, and he curated an exhibition of antique harmoniums from his personal vintage collection, along with providing information about the history and the status of the harmonium in the International Music Festival ‘Baajaa Gaajaa- 2009.” Now, his collection is poised to become a part of the Harmonium Museum currently underway at the Kala Coast: Global Music and Arts Village, near Udupi.

Nayak is often invited as a visiting lecturer at the University of Pittsburgh and has conducted interactive sessions for music students of Stanford, Berkeley, Brandise, Yale University and Ithaca College, USA, Griffith University, Brisbane among others

Pandit Dhananjay Hegde

A young and talented Hindustani classical vocalist, Dhananjay Hegde was born in a musical family. A child prodigy, Dhananjay was identifying the shruthi or musical note of a car horn or temple bell at the age of four. Observing this talent, his parents encouraged him to learn music. He began learning music at the age of four from his mother Smt. Geeta Hegde. His father, Sri G.S. Hegde is a Tabla player and founder of "SAPTHAK" - a music organization promoting Hindustani Music in Bangalore.

Later, Dhananjay was fortunate enough to have trained under Pt. Venkatesh Kumar from Dharwad, for a while. In 1989, he joined Pt. Vinayak Torvi for advanced learning and underwent rigorous training under Panditji in the Gurukul tradition. The talim received from Panditji moulded Dhananjay into a complete performer. It was not just learning one-to-one from Panditji, but being with him for his concerts all over, made a huge impact on Dhananajay as a performer. After an intense taleem of 14 years, he shifted to Mumbai to pursue his music career and to reach greater heights. A true student, he still seeks guidance from Panditji.

exerpt: Dhananjay Hegde

One of the interesting aspects of Dhananjay’s music is the blend of Kirana and Gwalior Gharana, which he has imbibed from his Guru. Dhananjay aspires to be a honest musician and to follow in the footsteps of maestros of yesteryear.