Photo courtesy: Rupesh Kotecha (http://www.photobyrupesh.com)

About Prasad

Prasad Upasani was initiated into Hindustani Classical music at a very early age by his father, Shri Raja Upasani, a musician in his own right. Prasad's formal music training began at the age of six when he was placed under the tutelage of the renowned Hindustani musician and teacher of the Agra gharaana, Pt. S.C.R. Bhat at Shree Vallabh Sangeetalaya in Bombay. During the following years, Prasad was fortunate to receive instruction not only from Pt. S.C.R. Bhat, but also from his distinguished colleague, the late Pt. K.G. Ginde who is recognized as one of the foremost musicologists of modern times. At the age of 18, Prasad received his Bachelor's degree in music, Sangeet Visharad.

Prasad was fortunate to have had intense training under Pt. S.C.R. Bhat and Pt. K.G. Ginde for more than 25 years. As a result, his music is rich with the pristine purity for which their guru-parampara is well-known. He has acquired mastery over sur and laya as is exhibited in his alaps, upajs and taans with intricate laykari, maintaining the beauty and delicate nuances of ragas.

Prasad gave his first public performance at the age of 11 at Bombay's Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan. He has since performed at various locations in India including Sur Sagar's prestigious Devnandan Ubhaykar Youth Festival in Bangalore, Bombay Suburban Music Circle, Omkar Sur Mandal, Kala-Bharati, and Bhatkhande Festivals at Shree Vallabh Sangeetalaya. He has been regularly teaching and performing in the US for the last 18 years, including recently at the prestigious Music Circle in Los Angeles. Prasad was a featured artiste at the 2004 world-wide Konkani Sammelan in Los Angeles. He also presented a rare Hindustani-Carnatic jugalbandi at the 2005 Tsunami Aid concert “Harmony”.  Other concerts include the India Festival in Los Angeles. Prasad has composed many beautiful, and rich bandishes in various raags which cover the nuances of the raga.

Prasad has also followed a career in Computer Science. He holds a Master's degree from the University of Southern California, and currently works as an IT Professional in Southern California. In recent years he has successfully combined his twin passions for music and technology to create a highly successful line of music apps (iTanpura, iTablaPro, and iLehra) for the Apple iPhone platform. These have been received enthusiastically by music professionals and students alike.

Interested in having Prasad perform? Send an Email