Nachiketa Yakkundi
Originally from Dharwad,
Nachiketa Yakkundi was initiated into Hindustani vocal music by his parents.
His formal study began in Madras under Shri B. N. Simha and later under Shri B.
Hanumantachar. His rigorous training, deep study, and
extended pedagogy came under the virtuoso Padma Bhushan Pt. Basavraj
Rajguru, who nurtured and developed Nachiketa's voice, music, repertoire, and
performance skills. Pt. Rajguru is the foundational reason and primary
force behind Nachiketa's music. After Pt. Rajguru's demise in 1991, Nachiketa continued to hone his music under the
expert guidance of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, who later granted Nachiketa the honour of being a lead vocalist in the prestigious Maihar Orchestra. Nachiketa then burnished his music under
the brief mentorship of Pt. Ramashreya Jha, whom Nachiketa considers his
guru. Nachiketa's very introduction to Pt. Ramashreya Jha and his
extraordinary music came about through his close friend and esteemed mentor
Rajan Parrikar, who continues to broaden, deepen, and shape Nachiketa's music.
In addition, at different points in his life, Nachiketa studied under Pt.
Chandrashekhar Puranikmath, Pt. Madhav Gudi, Pt.
Falguni Mitra, and Smt. Lakshmi Shankar.
Nachiketa has performed in
several cities across India and North America in major concert events, music
conferences, cultural festivals, temples, religious events, charity organisations, ensemble concerts, legendary orchestras,
Hindustani-Carnatic jugalbandi concerts, chamber and
house concerts, private mehfils, and as a vocalist for Bharatanatyam, Kathak,
and Odissi dance recitals. He is a regular performer on web, television, radio,
and live events in which he introduces, educates, and
demonstrates to audiences the beauty, tradition, and glory of Hindustani
music.
Nachiketa is a music teacher.
He commenced his role as a guru with the Ali Akbar College of Music in 1995 at the encouragement of Dr. Ardhendu Raha. In
1999, he established the Rajguru Sangeet Vidyaniketan
school of music, where he has trained hundreds of students and continues to
teach children and adults alike. The school's annual music concert, popularly
known as RSV, that he conducts on a grand scale, heralds
recitals by his students, performances by renowned artists, and showcases by
established musicians. RSV has flourished into a monumental musical event in
the San Francisco Bay Area.
Nachiketa is also a composer.
In the classical realm, he has composed new raags, such as Bhimanand
and Rajguru Kanada, as well as original bandish'es
that range from vilambit compositions to sprightly drt numbers to taranas. In the
devotional genre, he has composed tunes for a great many bhajans, padas, and
vachanas. In the semi-classical, folk, and theatre music categories, he has
composed numerous songs as well as for numerous theatre musicals in Hindi,
Kannada, and Marathi. He has also been the leading music director and principal
vocalist for Naatak, the largest Indian theatre
company in the United States, for whom he has steered musicals to sold out
audiences since 2014.
Nachiketa lives in San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and two children.
In addition to the music of Nachiketa Yakkundi available from this site, there is a myriad of material available on YouTube, iTunes, Spotify, and the wider internet.
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Concert schedule
- 2026
- 2025
- 2024
- 2023
- 2022
- 2021
- 2020
- 2019
- 2018
- 2017
- 2016
- 2015
- 2014
- 2013
- 2012
- 2011
- 2010
- 2009
- 2008
- 2007