A Hindustani Classical Vocal Concert featuring Shri. Gandhar Deshpande

Date: Saturday, June 6, 2026, 5:00 PM EDT

Venue: India Spiritual & Cultural Center

$50.00 per ticket

Tabla: Shri. Sanjay Deshpande

Harmonium: Shri Siddhesh Bicholkar

About the Artists

Shri Gandhar Deshpande

Gandhar Deshpande is an award-winning Indian Hindustani classical vocalist who represents the new generation of traditional Indian music. He is highly acclaimed for his ability to masterfully blend the complex vocal styles (gayaki) of three distinct musical schools: the Gwalior, Jaipur, and Agra Gharanas.

Early Life & Musical Lineage

• Family Roots: Born into a deeply musical family, he began training at age five.
• Gurus: He is the son and disciple of the legendary classical vocalist Pandit Dr. Ram Deshpande and Smt. Archana Deshpande.
• Tradition: Meticulously trained under the strict Guru-shishya parampara (traditional teacher-disciple system).

Artistry & Musical Style

• Vocal Strengths: Celebrated for his exceptional tonal clarity, emotional depth, and precise execution of complex melodic phrases.
• Versatility: While deeply rooted in classical traditions, he explores fusion and performs the classical vocals for the contemporary Bollywood Gharana project.
• Performances: Performs globally and across India at prestigious music festivals and elite classical venues. [1]

Major Milestones & Awards

• Grammy Recognition: Collaborated with American musician Justin Tracy on the album "Mumbai Night," which earned a Grammy entry consideration in 2017.
• Prestigious Honors: Received the Hridayesh Award in 2013 from the legendary Gansaraswati Kishori Amonkar.
• Youth Champion: Won 12 gold medals over six years at various Youth Festivals, including the National Youth Festival.
• Scholarships: Awarded the highly competitive National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) Kesarbai Kerkar Scholarship in 2014.
• Film Appearance: Portrayed the childhood role of legendary vocalist Pt. D.V. Paluskar in the biographical documentary "Gaanyogi".

Shri Sanjay Deshpande

Sanjay Deshpande is a talented Tabla Player based in Pune, INDIA. He was born in a music loving family and was introduced to the art of playing Tabla under Late Pt. Sabade at Pune Bharat Gayan Samaj. Later he took Taleem (lessons) from the renowned Tabla player Pt. Suresh Talwalkar of  Delhi-Farookabad  Gharana, in a Guru Shishya Parampara .He also had the privilege of understanding the beauty of Punjab Gharana  under the guidance of  world renowned Tabla maestro Ustad. AllaRakha Khan Saheb and Pt.Yogesh Samsi. At present he is taking Taleem from Pt. Vivek Joshi.

​Sanjay is recipient of the coveted “Ahmedjaan Thirakwaa Scholarship” for Solo Performance. He has accompanied renowned artists like Smt. Vasundhara Komkali, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Pt. Smt. Malini Rajurkar, Pt. Jasraj, Dr. Prabha Atre, Pt. DinkarKaikini, Dr. Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande , Smt. Veena Sahastrabudhe and many such great artists.

He has performed in major conferences such as Sawai Gandharwa Music FestivalPune, Paluskar Smarak Conference, Shankarlal Samaroha in New Delhi, I.T.C. Sangeet Sammelan . Dowerlane Conference, Kolkata.

Sanjay has performed abroad in Countries like U.S.A, U.K, U.A.E,Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Russia, Belgim, Holland, Qatar, Israel, South Korea etc. He has also participated in the “World Vocal Festival” in  Sweden.

He is empanelled as GURU at the Lalit Kala Kendra, University of Pune and Bharati Vidyapeeth Pune. He has number of  recordings released. His fusion album “Wind From Ayuta” with Korean musicians won the Best album award of the year - 2002 in South Korea.

Shri Siddhesh Bicholkar

Siddhesh was privileged to receive guidance from his First Guru, Shri Sharad Mathkar in Goa and later placed under the tutelage of Pt. Tulsidas Borkar, a renowned Harmonium exponent and Guru.

The difficult and lesser known art of Jaltarang was taken up by Siddhesh with inspiration from Shri Sharad Mathkar, who personally crafted his first set of Jaltarang apparatus. Siddhesh gained valuable knowlegde about Instrumental recitals and depths of Classical Music from Pt. Tulsidas Borkar, enabling Siddhesh to present Jaltarang Recitals, a very rare occurence in Indian Classical Music.

He has been the recipient of many eminent music scholarships including accolades by the Govt.of India and its H.R.D. Ministry. He is presently employed as a classical music teacher at Sharda Sangeet Vidyalaya, Mumbai.