Amit Kavthekar

Regarded as a child prodigy, Amit Kavthekar was brought before Ustad Alla Rakha at age six and became his ganda-bandhan (formally ordained) disciple at age eleven. Born and raised in Mumbai's Shivaji Park neighborhood, he also studied with Pandit Dinkar Gadgil, Ashok Godbole, Pandit Deepak Nerurkar, and Pandit Sudhir Mainkar of the Delhi gharana. After Alla Rakha's passing in 2000, Kavthekar continued training exclusively under Zakir Hussain.

As an accompanist, he has performed with a constellation of Indian classical greats including Amjad Ali Khan, Shahid Parvez, Ronu Majumdar, Pandit Jasraj, and Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande. Landmark performances include the 2018 UN Day Concert before the General Assembly, a 2022 Carnegie Hall concert with Amjad Ali Khan, and his debut at the Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsav. He has also toured with guitarist Al Di Meola since 2021.

In 2010, Kavthekar moved to the United States at the invitation of Aditya Kalyanpur to teach at the New England School of Music (NESOM), where he now serves as Dean of Percussion. He is a founding member of the Purna Loka Ensemble alongside violinist David Balakrishnan of the Grammy-winning Turtle Island Quartet. He was awarded the Taal-Mani award by the Sur Singar Samiti, Mumbai.