Hasu Patel

Hasu Patel is an Indian classical musician, composer, and music teacher who is known for playing the sitar, a traditional string instrument of India. She was born in Baroda (Vadodara), Gujarat, India, and started learning music at a very young age. She gave her first public performance when she was only 10 years old and later received formal training in classical music. 

She trained under several respected teachers, including Ustad Vilayat Khan, and learned the Gayaki Ang style, a technique where the sitar is played in a way that imitates the human singing voice. This style is an important part of the Imdadkhani gharana tradition of Hindustani classical music. 

Hasu Patel later moved to the United States, where she continued performing, composing music, and teaching Indian classical music. She taught sitar, tabla, and vocal music at Oberlin College Conservatory of Music for many years and also founded the Sursangam School of Music to promote North Indian classical music. 

Throughout her career, she has performed in many countries and collaborated with orchestras, composing sitar concertos based on Indian ragas. She has received several awards, including the 2018 Ohio Heritage Fellowship, for her contributions to preserving and promoting Indian classical music around the world.