Ulhas Kashalkar

Ulhas Kashalkar (b. 1955) hails from a family steeped in musical traditions. His father, Shri N.D. Kashalkar, provided him with not only the initial samskaras but the training as well. Ulhas showed signs of early promise by winning coveted prizes in competitions at a very young age. He pursued his studies in music at the Nagpur University and set his seal of excellence by annexing a Gold Medal at his M.A. examination. He was also the recepient of a Central Government scholarship for studies for a three year period.

Ulhas then had the benefit of training under Pt. Ram Marathe, who in turn had assimiliated his gayaki from Pandit Mirashibua and Master Krishnarao of the Gwalior gharana, Pt. Jagannathbua Purohit (Gunidas) of the Agra gharana and Pt. Vamanrao Sadolikar of the Jaipur gharana. Ulhas has intervowen the silken threads of these three traditional gayakis to evolve a fascinating style of his own with the guidance from Pt. Gajananbua Joshi who is the living embodiment of the fusion of these gharanas.

Today, Ulhas is a shining example of a harmonious blend of the finest there is in the Hindustani contemperary styles. His gayaki is a triumph of a melodious voice coupled with artistic perception. He is recognized as a "purist" by the stalwarts of the musical tradition, and is acclaimed to be one the finest vocalists in India by several eminent musicians such as Pt. V.G. Jog and artists of similar calibre and renown. Ulhas has been affiliated with the Pune station of the All India Radio for many years and has performed in several countries all over the world. Through his serious and dedicated approach to music, he has carved out a niche for himself in very discriminating circles of music.

Ulhas is currently associated with the Sangeet Research Academy (SRA) in Calcutta, the premier foundation of North Indian Music where he teaches music to rising stars and contributes to the research environment actively. Ulhas has been to the DFW metroplex twice before and left the audience completely charmed by his music and his personality.