Composer and performer, Shubhendra Rao is ranked amongst the key soloists of India. Distinguished as a musical bridge to many cultures, he creates an experience for his audience that "is not aimed at titillating the senses, but to seize the soul" (The Hindu, New Delhi, 4thFeb 2000). A protégé of world-renowned Sitar maestro, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Shubhendra has established himself not only as a master of his instrument but also as a thinking musician, constantly endeavoring to carry his instrument beyond conventional boundaries.
Hailed as a worthy successor to his Guru’s tradition, Shubhendra has performed at major music festivals and concert halls like Broadway and Carnegie Hall in New York, WOMAD festival in Guernsey, UK, Sydney Opera House in Australia, National Arts Festival in South Africa, Theatre de le Ville in Paris, Edinburgh festival and Doverlane Music Conference in India. In November 2007, he was awarded the “Youth Icon for Classical Music” by the popular Zee Television Network.