Advait Phadke - Raag Puriya Dhanashree at Ustad Amir Khan Music Festival 2025

Advait Phadke performs in the Evening Session at the 2025 Ustad Amir Khan Music Festival. Accompanied by Tejas Venkateswaran on tabla. ABOUT THE ARTISTS Advait Phadke is a sophomore at the University of Texas at Austin and has been learning Santoor for 11 years from Dr. Dhananjay Daithankar -- senior disciple of Pandit Shivkumar Sharma. He has won awards such as : 1st place in Maharashtra Mandal Bay Area’s Chaitradhun twice 1st place in One School At A Time (OSAAT’s) Vaadyavahini He has also performed a 45 minute Santoor solo in MMBA’s art festival in the August of 2023 and performed solo in Guru Dr. Dhananjay Daithankar’s Gurupournima program in 2024. Tejas Venkateswaran began his musical journey at the age of seven, immersing himself in the rich traditions of Indian classical music. He studied tabla under the guidance of Ustad Arshad Syed Ji, a distinguished disciple of Ustad Allah Rakha Khan and Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma. Currently, Tejas is under the tutelage of Shri Vivek Pandya, a senior disciple of the esteemed Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, a maestro of the Farrukhabad gharana. Shri Pandya's lineage and global performances have significantly influenced Tejas's approach to tabla, blending traditional techniques with contemporary expressions. Tejas has performed with many acclaimed musicians in the Bay Area, including Shri Nachiketa Yakkundi Ji, Prasad Bandharkar Ji, Vikram Shrowty Ji, and his own guru Ustad Arshad Syed Ji, among many others. Professionally, Tejas works as a Machine Learning Engineer at Meta, where he applies his analytical skills to cutting-edge technologies. His dual passion for technology and music reflects a harmonious balance between logic and creativity. Beyond his professional endeavors, Tejas is an avid enthusiast of billiards, rock climbing, chess, and nature exploration. These diverse interests enrich his life, providing a well-rounded perspective that he brings into his musical and professional pursuits.