Nandini Shankar

Nandini Shankar was born in Mumbai into a family deeply rooted in Hindustani classical music. She is the daughter of violinist Dr. Sangeeta Shankar and the granddaughter of Padma Bhushan awardee Dr. N. Rajam. Surrounded by music from an early age, she began formal training on the violin at the age of three under the guidance of her mother and grandmother.

Her training follows the Gayaki Ang tradition, a style developed by Dr. N. Rajam that brings the nuances of vocal music to the violin. This approach emphasizes continuity of tone, expressive phrasing, and the reproduction of vocal ornamentation on a bowed instrument. Nandini gave her first public performance at the age of eight and presented her first full-length solo concert at thirteen.

She has since performed at major venues and festivals in India and abroad, including Carnegie Hall, Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, and The Esplanade in Singapore. Her international performances span the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Hungary, Greece, Luxembourg, the UAE, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Singapore. In India, she has appeared at festivals such as Europalia, the Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Festival, the Dover Lane Music Conference, the Saptak Festival of Music, the ITC SRA Sangeet Sammelan, Jaya Smriti, the Temple of Fine Arts, and Bhilwara Sur Sangam, and at events organized by the Bengal Music Foundation and other cultural institutions.

Nandini is active in both classical and collaborative formats. She and her sister Ragini Shankar form the ensemble Taraana, which has been signed by Decca Records US (Universal Music Group) for a full-length album. She regularly releases fusion singles with her husband, composer and electronic musician Mahesh Raghvan. She is also a member of Sakhi, India’s first all-women Indian classical music ensemble formed by Kaushiki Chakraborty, and part of the fusion collective inStrings.

Her discography includes classical and fusion albums such as Immerse, Orange to Red, and Taraana, along with numerous singles spanning Indian classical, semi-classical, and contemporary styles. She has also appeared on televised and digital music platforms and in collaborative video projects.

Alongside performance, Nandini is engaged in teaching. She currently teaches at the Rajam School of Violin and previously served as faculty at Whistling Woods International in Mumbai for five years.

Academically, she has completed a master’s degree in music from SNDT University and is a qualified Chartered Accountant (ICAI), reflecting a parallel engagement with professional and artistic disciplines. Based in Mumbai, Nandini Shankar’s work brings together traditional Hindustani training, international performance, education, and contemporary collaboration.