Skandaprasad Rao

Skandaprasad Rao is a South Indian classical vocalist and flutist raised in the United States. Firmly grounded in the Carnatic tradition through initial training from his mother Dr. Bhavani Prakash, he went on to study advanced flute under the renowned Shashank Subramanyam and vocal under Tara Anand Bangalore. He has won numerous awards at major festivals including the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana and Great Composer's Day, and was a finalist in the first Carnatic Music Idol USA. Based in the Boston area, he leads MIT Swara, a community for Carnatic musicians on the MIT campus, and performs regularly in local recitals and festivals in Boston and New Jersey. He juggles about a dozen bamboo flutes in different keys and also plays with the Festival Jazz Ensemble and various jazz combos. He is a frequent orchestra member for classical dance recitals across the country.