Vinay Desai

Vinay is a direct disciple of the world-renowned Santoor Maestro Padma Vibhusan Pandit Shivkumar Sharmaji. After graduating from college in Delaware, Vinay sought out to learn Santoor in India. Having had some background training in tabla and vocal, in 2011, Pandit Shivkumar Sharmaji guided Vinay to begin his training under Takahiro Arai and Kunal Gunjal, before being accepted by Panditji himself. Vinay regularly performs throughout USA, including Hawaii, Argentina, Canada, The Bahamas, Australia, and India.

Though specializing in Indian Classical Music, Vinay has worked with all genres with shows of Bollywood music, Hollywood music, Theater and drama music, etc. He is known for his meditative and dynamic musical phrases. His devotion to the purity and the depth of Shivkumar Sharma’s style comes forth in performance. Vinay continues to spread his Guru’s work not only through performances but also teaching and lecturing at different places. He has performed with legends including Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, Ustad Tari khan, Ustad Sukhvinder Singh Pinky, and some of the most glamorous upcoming Tabla players. Vinay is known for his superlative melodic improvisations and sharp sense of rhythm. He has an astonishing ability to embrace, dive into and reinterpret traditional music.