Nishant Panicker - Vocal
Vikram Mukherjee - Tabla
Neelesh Nadakarni - Harmonium

Sitting: In the main room on the floor with back jack support, chairs in the second and third room.
Dress Code: Casual, comfortable, descent. Please take off your shoes before entering the studios.
Food and beverage: Only water is allowed inside the studios. Please bring your own supply.

Nishant Panicker
Disciple of Vidushi Lalith J. Rao,
26 years old, was initiated into Hindustani classical music at the age of six.
After initial training under Shri Anant Heggar Hegde, he received vocal lessons and early inspiration from the sarod maestro Pandit Rajeev Taranath.

While Taranathji, in his seventies, seemed to be tough and demanding to the seven-year-old, by the time he was nine, Nishant was already imbibing the art of raga elaboration and taan creation. When Taranathji moved to Mysore, he entrusted Nishant to Vidushi Lalith J. Rao, doyenne of the Agra-Atrauli Gharana. With Lalithji’s caring, encouraging, and astute guidance over the past fifteen years, Nishant has blossomed into a delightful performer with confidence and skill in raga vistar, layakari, and bol banav, in line with the Agra tradition.

At 18, Nishant was among the youngest in the country to have received the prestigious NCPA Hindustani Vocal Scholarship 2016-17, awarded to outstanding vocal musicians 18 to 30 years old. He was one of the top 16 Hindustani vocal finalists in the All-India competition Naad Bhed 2013-14 for under 26. Nishant has won many inter-school and state-level music competitions and received the Rotary Young Achievers’ Award from Rotary Club, Bangalore, in 2015. With several solo and group performances with Guru Lalith J Rao under his belt, his first studio recording was released in 2013 in an audio CD The Legacy Continues as part of an album titled An Agra Gharana Heritage Collection. He has contributed to the recording of several compositions of Padma Bhushan Ustad Khadim Hussain Khan for an archival project hosted on the website www.namansanjanpiyara.com. He has also contributed to several recordings of prakars of Kedar and Kanhaadas for an NCPA archival project.

Nishant is also an avid Kathak dancer, with over twelve years of training. He graduated with a B.Sc. in Biology from Azim Premji University, Bangalore, in 2020 and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Systems Biology from the University of Pittsburgh.

Vikram Mukherjee
Vikram Mukherjee is a Tabla player based out of central Pennsylvania. He started his Tabla journey at the age of 6 under Shri John Portopapas and is currently under the guidance of his guru Pandit Samir Chatterjee, with whom he has been studying in the Guru Shishya Parampara for the past 9 years. Most recently he has been recognized as a formalized Gandha Bandhan disciple of Pandit Samir Chatterjee. In addition to Tabla, Vikram is currently taking training in Khyal and Dhrupad vocal music under Guru Kishan Patel. Vikram has had the opportunity to receive mentorship from many great instrumentalists and vocalists and has been involved in several fusion projects. Some of his achievements have included playing numerous Tabla at the Chhandayan Center for Indian Music in New York City, being the founder and president of Pitt Sangeet and accompanying many artists. Apart from his musical endeavors, Vikram has been pursuing his interest in medicine and research at the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and University of Pittsburgh.

Neelesh Nadkarni
Neelesh Nadkarni was initiated into Hindustani vocal music in Bahrain at a young age by Shri Vasant Marathe. Subsequently, Neelesh self-learnt to perform on the harmonium under his mother's guidance. Neelesh refined his style of accompaniment and solo performances under Pandit Sudhakar Deoley in Bahrain and, under Pandit Rambhau Bijapure in Belgaum, Karnataka. He has accompanied many classical vocal artists in US and India.