Mahesh Kale

India's National Award-winning vocalist, Mahesh Kale, based in San Francisco Bay Area is renowned for his specialization in North Indian classical, semi-classical, natya-sangeet, and devotional music. Kale, after winning India’s National Film Award as the Best Playback Singer, for his classical piece in the film Katyar Kaljat Ghusli (2016), has firmly established himself as a face of Indian classical music of the new generation and has performed extensively across India, US, Europe, UAE, and Southeast Asia. Honed in the Gurukul system of learning from the legendary Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki, he has an illustrious pedigree, and his thrilling performances bear this out. Mahesh maintains an open outlook towards music to reach out to the new generation while retaining the traditions. He has performed with world percussionists including Zakir Hussain, Trilok Gurtu, and Sivamani, and instrumentalists like Pedro Eustache, George Brooks, and Frank Martin, in fusion and collaborative works, ably demonstrating his versatility as a composer and singer. In an effort to spread awareness and education about Indian classical music in the western world, Mahesh has given lecture-- demonstrations and talks at various academic institutions including Stanford University, Harvard University, TEDx, and the Commonwealth Club. Kale is a founder of the Indian Classical Music and Arts (ICMA) Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on preserving, nurturing, and celebrating Indian Classical Music. Kale is also a teacher and an inspiration for a motivated student body of over a thousand students across the globe through his music school, MKSM, which is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area.