Kedar Naphade

Kedar Naphade was born on 10 January 1972 to a Maharashtrian family in Mumbai, India. From the age of 9, Kedarji started learning harmonium solo and accompaniment from Tulsidas Borkar. He also received education from Padmavati Shaligram-Gokhale of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana from 1989–1993. He completed his engineering degree at the Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai in 1993, then moved to the United States where he completed his Ph.D. in Operations Research from Lehigh University in 1997.

Kedarji has been involved in harmonium performance since 1982, both as a soloist and accompanist in Hindustani classical music. He was a child artist on Mumbai Television Channel Doordarshan during the early 1980s and started his professional career at age 18 with solo and accompaniment performances from 1990. He gained recognition with his performance at the Annual Alladiya Khan Smruti Samaroha in Mumbai in 1992, collaborating with Smt. Padmavati Shaligram-Gokhale. His musical style draws influence from musicians like Tulsidas Borkar and P. Madhukar. He performs classical renditions, semi-classical forms like Marathi Natyasangeet, bhajans, and thumri, and has provided accompaniment for vocalists in concerts across India, Europe, and the United States.