Kedar Naphade
Kedar Naphade is an Indian classical harmonium player.
Early life
Kedar Naphade was born on 10 January 1972 to a Maharashtrian family in the city of Mumbai, India. From the age of 9, he started learning harmonium solo and accompaniment from Tulsidas Borkar. He also received education from Padmavati Shaligram-Gokhale of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana from 1989–1993.He completed his engineering degree at the Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai in 1993. Subsequently he moved to the United States of America, where he completed his Ph.D. in Operations Research from Lehigh University in 1997.
Career
Kedar has been performing harmonium solo and accompaniment concerts since 1982. He was featured as a child artist on the Mumbai Television Channel Doordarshan in the early 1980s and started performing professionally as a soloist and accompanist of Hindustani Classical music in 1990, at the age of 18. He first came into the limelight with a concert at the prestigious Annual Alladiya Khan Smruti Samaroha in Mumbai, India with Smt. Padmavati Shaligram-Gokhalie in 1992.Kedar's music is based on that of Tulshidas Borkar and P. Madhukar. In addition to classical music, Kedar also plays the semi-classical forms of Marathi Natyasangeet, bhajans, and thumri.
Kedar has performed harmonium solo and has accompanied vocalists at numerous concerts in India, Europe and in the U.S. He has more than 500 concert appearances at festivals and venues such as the Alladiya Khan Smruti Samaroha, Dadar Matunga Cultural Center and Vile Parle Music Circle in Mumbai, Surel Samvadini Sanvardhan institute in Belgaum, Karnataka, Kala Academy in Panaji Goa, Bharat Natya Mandir in Pune, India, the London U.K. Marathi Mandal, The Lincoln Center in New York, Carnegie Hall in New York, The Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., the LearnQuest Academy music conference in Boston, the Chhandayan Annual All Night Music Conference in New York.
He has collaborated on stage with other musicians such as Veena Sahasrabuddhe, Ulhas Kashalkar, Prabha Atre and Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande. He has worked in instrumental ensembles with other instruments such as the sitar, flute, violin and mandolin.
Kedar Naphade is the founder and president of The Harmonium Institute, a non-profit organization under Section 501 of the IRS.
The purpose of The Harmonium Institute is to create better human beings through music and service.