Praveen D. Rao


Praveen D. Rao is an Indian musician, music director and a lyricist for Kannada language songs. He is based in Bangalore, India and plays the keyboard, tabla, and other instruments.
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Early life

He was trained by R. V. Sheshadri Gawai of Aravinda Sangeetha Vidyalaya and tabla player Ravindra Yavagal. Rao has composed music for plays, ballets, films, television shows and commercials.

Original scores for dance and theatre

Midlands Art Centre, UK

Chitraleka Dance Company, UK

Indira Thiagarajah, London

  • Bimba Pratibimba

Abhinava Dance Company, Bangalore

  • Datta Mahima
  • Dwadashatma
  • Spirit of Dance
  • Manini
  • Samarpan Sweekar
  • Saath Saat
  • Shringar Raam
  • Prem Shanthi
  • Nigah
  • Ta Dha
  • Mushti
  • Tad Bharatham

Monica, Belgium

  • Patanjali Yoga Sutra
  • Meera

Radha Sridhar, Bangalore

  • Meghadootha

Prabhath International, Bangalore

Prabhat Kalavidaru, Bangalore

  • Cinderella
  • Karunamaya Shiva

Nadam Academy of Performing Arts

  • Antardhwani

Rasika Dance Academy

  • Yatra
  • Devanga Mahima

Piali Ray, UK

Sampad Yuva, UK

M. P. Suma, Bangalore

  • Omkaara
  • Vijaya Kalyana
  • Vachana Vybhava

STEM contemporary dance theatre, Bangalore

  • Crows – Caws – Facades

Gig Payne, UK

  • Conversations – Performing Abilities of the Multiple Disabled

Pampa Dance Academy, USA

  • Prakriti

Sandesha, Mangalore

Padmini Ravi, Bangalore

  • Tamtana

ISKCON, Bangalore

Supriya Desai, USA

  • Mahishasura Mardini
  • Sri Krishna Parijatha

Maya Rao, Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography, Bangalore

Pushpanjali, Manchester

Ramakrishna Vidyashala, Mysore

Guy Hutchins, Moby Duck Theatre Company, UK

  • Maze Maker
  • Bopoluchi
  • Fire Girl
  • Bloodhands
  • Granny Vampire

Sampradaya Dance Creations, Toronto

  • Vivarta
  • Shoonya
  • Pralaya

North West Dance Alliance, Manchester

  • Devi Diva

Threeaksha, Philadelphia, USA

Performances

Rao has performed at national and international festivals including Pattadakal Festival, Navaraspur Festival, Lord Mayor's Cultural Event 1994, World Veerashaiva Conference 1997, World Konkani Conference 2002, Soorya Festival, and Nishagandhi Festival. He has toured India and abroad performing and conducting workshops.

Other activities

He is the founder of the event management organization Prakruthi, an NGO that works towards a more environmentally-friendly India by bringing people into parks. Prakruthi increases awareness about Kannada literature and the culture of Karnataka through music, and organizes musical programs all over the state.

Recognition

  • Aryabhatta Award – 1998, 2000, and 2010
  • Swaramandara Award – 1998 and 2000
  • G. V. Athri Award – 2000
  • Silicon Jaycees Award – 2003
  • Best music director award for Guptagamini, an ETV Kannada serialKalāvatamsa title by Gokulam – 2010
  • Colors Kannada Best Music Director for "Chitte Hejje" – 2014
  • Colors Kannada Best Music Director for "Love Lavike" – 2016Sangeetha Ratnakara title from Shivapriya School of Dance – 2019Natya Sangeetha Saraswathi title from Natyasaraswathi Kuchipudi Dance Centre, Vijayawada – 2019
  • Ananya Nritya Puraskar from Ananya Cultural Academy, Bangalore – 2019Shree Kala Jyothi title from the Bangalore Gayana Samaja – 2021Kala Chakravarthi title from Shivapriya School of Dance – 2022Karnataka Kalashri state award and title from Sangeetha Nritya Academy – 2022

Other works

As a composer, Rao has created his own musical style. He has scored theatre, ballet, film and television productions. Rao scored the music to M. S. Sathyu's short film Namak Ki Kankari. As an arranger, he is known for fusing Hindustani music and Carnatic music with Western techniques and arranging background scores for various films. He has worked with theatre personalities including A. S. Murthy, B. V. Karanth and B. Jayashree. Rao has been involved in theatre in various capabilities. He has also worked as an actor and director. He has acted in several soap operas including Asare, Tulasi, Manvantara and Muktha.
He was commissioned by SAMPAD, UK to compose music for Moving Earth, a dance and music production that was part of the 2012 London Olympics.
He toured as a part of Chakrafonics, a world music band that performs genres from Indian classical fusion to world music. The band toured the USA, UK and Australia from 2014 to 2015.