Rahul Sharma
About
Rahul Sharma is an acclaimed Santoor player music director and vocalist, who is known for playing the 100-stringed Kashmiri Santoor and performing extensively in India and abroad.
Rahul started learning santoor at the age of 13 from his father and santoor maestro Pt. Shivkumar Sharma. He began performing with his father while accompanying him to concerts in 1996.
At 22, he was signed to perform at the WOMAD International Arts Festival and the Darbar festival.
After mastering the santoor from his father Shivkumar Sharma, Rahul has continued to elevate santoor’s stature in world music through several collaborations, including Namaste India.
His collaboration with Grammy-winning electronica group Deep Forest combined Indian folk and santoor with electronica. He has also experimented by taking the santoor into the rock genre with his album The Rebel.
In 2012, Rahul’s collaborative album with American saxophonist Kenny G's reached #2 on the Billboard World Charts and #4 on Board Smooth jazz charts.
He also collaborated with legendary musicians such as Zakir Hussain, John McLaughlin, Mickey Hart, George Harrison, Yo-Yo Ma, Joe Henderson, Van Morrison, Airto Moreira, Pharoah Sanders, and the Kodo Drummers.
During the Royal visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Prince William and Kate Middleton, Rahul along with his wife played various songs by The Beatles.
Legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan lent his voice to Rahul’s latest composition Jai Hanuman for the web series Ramyug also featuring Ustad Zakir Hussain.
Rahul has more than 60 albums to his credit and Zen, The Confluence, Sweet Romance, Namaste, and Maya: The Illusion are some of his widely applauded ones.
Awards and accomplishments
Awards and accomplishments
- Rahul received MTV IMMIES ‘Best Instrumental Album’ for his album Zen in 2001.
- He received the ‘Best Debut-Music Director’ award at the ZEE Bollywood Music Awards in 2002 for his contribution in providing music to the Bollywood film Mujhse Dosti Karoge.
- Rahul was awarded ‘The Sangeet Natak Academi Award for Hindustani instrumental music.
Why Rahul Sharma ?
Rahul Sharma, an ace santoor player has taken the santoor into world music with various collaborations. Just like his father, Pt. Shivkumar Sharma, Rahul has also popularised and elevated Santoor’s stature in the music world following his legacy. Rahul’s performance captivates audiences with his unique style of playing, modifying, and creating new techniques. Rahul has also composed and designed sound and style for his collaborative shows, resulting in a more coherent environment with an amalgamation of East and West.
