Swapan Chaudhuri
Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri is an Indian tabla player, and is considered to be one of the all time great masters of the instrument. He has accompanied several musicians of Indian classical music, including, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Ustad Vilayat Khan, Pandit Bhimshen Joshi, Pandit Jasraj., Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and many more.
Guru: Pandit Santosh Krishna Biswas
Gharana: Lucknow Gharana.
First Public Performance: age of 13, on All India Radio with his grandfather, accompanied by Pandit Kanthe Maharaj of the Benaras gharana
Awards: He received American Academy of Artists Award and was nominee to Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame. In 1996, Swapan Chaudhuri received the Sangeet Natak Academy Award from the President of India, the highest awards for Classical Music in India. In 2019, he received the Padma Shri, one of India's highest honor from the Indian government.
Achievements: He collaborated with Asha Bhosle and Ali Akbar Khan on two Grammy nominated records, Legacy and Passing on the Tradition, with Asha Bhosle and Ali Akbar Khan respectively.
Teaching: In spite of having an extremely busy schedule of touring and performing, Swapan has dedicated a significant time of his life in teaching Tabla. He’s been the Director of Percussion of the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael and Basel, Switzerland and Department Chair and Senior faculty member at CalARTS.
