About Sitar Performances & Concerts

What Music Means to Me

Music isn't just notes and rhythms for me - it's like breathing. My journey started in my teens under Pandit Ravi Shankar, a true legend. His teaching shaped not just my playing, but my whole life. When I pick up my sitar, sometimes there's so much emotion, I can't hold back the tears. It feels like something bigger than me is playing through me. That joy is something I want to share with you.

My Kinds of Sitar Experiences

• Deep, meditative solo recitals, rooted in the Maihar Gharana, with a fantastic tabla artist alongside. This is a real Hindustani classical sitar show, not just background music.
• Sitar and cello jugalbandi with my wife, Saskia. Our music is like two souls talking - sometimes playful, sometimes just pure silence between notes.
• Fusion sitar performance and collaborations are my way of exploring. I've played with jazz musicians, Spanish composers, Carnatic and Chinese artists, and even symphony orchestras.
• When our family - me, Saskia, and our son Ishaan on piano - play as the Rao Trio, something different happens. The sounds mix in a way that's just... home.

Who I Play With & Where

Music is never just me and my sitar. The tabla, the cello, the piano, and all the friends I get to play with, they make every concert alive. From fancy stages like NMACC to school halls through SPIC MACAY, I love playing for everyone, especially young people. Classical music is for all, bas thoda dil se suno (just listen with your heart).