Dhrupad Vocal by Pt Uday Bhawalkar

Join us for an meditative morning of Dhrupad vocals, presented by Pandit Uday Bhawalkar with Pratap Awad accompanying on Pakhawaj.

Pandit Uday Bhawalkar presents the third recital, as part of the 2026 Melbounrne International Festival of Hindustani Classical Music.

Artist bios:

Pandit Uday Bhawalkar is among the world's foremost Dhrupad vocalists and has been a strong force in its growing recognition, popularity and resurgence worldwide. He spent over 12 years studying and living in the traditional guru-shishya parampara with Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar (Vocal) and Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar (Rudra-Veena), the towering pillars of the Dhrupad tradition.

​Since his first performance at Bhopal in 1985, Uday ji has performed at a number of prestigious festivals and events in India and worldwide - across Europe, North America, UK, and all over Asia. Uday ji has worked with the contemporary dancer Astad Deboo, the Ensemble Modern Orchestra (Germany), and with many other artists internationally. He has been accompanied on the Pakhawaj by none other than Ustad Zakir Hussain at the Prithvi Festival in Mumbai, as well as being accompanied on numerous occasions by Taalyogi Pt. Suresh Talwakar and Ustad Sukhwinder Singh Naamdhari.

In 2012, Uday ji became a Guru at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in Kolkata. He is also a Guru at the Bengal Foundation’s 'Parampara Sangeetalay' in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Uday ji was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 2021 and the Hanumant Award in 2023.

Dhrupad is one of the oldest forms of North Indian classical music, and Pt Bhawalkar maintains its majesty and subtle nuance, as well as developing his own unique style that is deeply embedded in raag, ras and bhaav.

Pratap Awad is a distinguished Pakhawaj maestro from Maharashtra, deeply rooted in the Nana Panse tradition. He holds an M.A. in Pakhawaj from Bharati Vidyapeeth University, Pune, and has trained extensively within a lineage of Indian percussion. With a career spanning over two decades, he has established himself as a sought-after accompanist in both Hindustani and dhrupad traditions, performing across leading Indian and international festivals. 

Awad has accompanied top-tier classical artists, notably dhrupad vocalist Pandit Uday Bhawalkar and rudra veena maestro Ustad Bahauddin Dagar, gaining acclaim for his rhythmic precision and dynamic dialogue.