Sumeet Anand Pandey (stage name) is a hereditary musician of the illustrious Darbhanga lineage of vocalists from Bihar in India known particularly for Dhrupad. This is the extant form of Hindustani classical music formalised towards the end of medieval period. He received early training and guidance for over 10 years from his grandfathers, Shri Birendra Mohan Pandey (son and disciple of Bihar Ratna Pandit Ram Prasad Pandey), and Padmashri Pandit Siyaram Tiwari, respectively. Later, he came under the tutelage of Pandit Abhay Narayan Mallick (grandnephew and master disciple of Padmashri Pandit Ram Chatur Mallick), who trained Sumeet as per Guru-Shishya parampara (Master-Disciple tradition) for over 14 years and molded him into a professional Dhrupadiya.
Sumeet is A-grade artist of All India Radio (A.I.R) and broadcasts his Dhrupad-Dhamar recordings from Delhi, India. He has been a familiar face on the concert circuit for over a decade in India and performed extensively across the country in major music festivals. He is an empaneled artist of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (I.C.C.R) and toured Berlin, Rome, Paris, Madrid, Hague, London, Prague, Budapest and other European cities for concerts and workshops. He is recipient of fellowships from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India and Sahitya Kala Parishad, Government of Delhi for carrying out research on Dhrupad, its historical journey and evolving pedagogy. His debut album titled Morning Meditation-Dhrupad of Darbhanga Tradition was released in 2020 on Naxos World (now ARC Music) worldwide. A progressive traditionalist, Sumeet collaborates with a range of musicians and genres globally. He has also lent his voice for playback in Hindi cinema (Bollywood) and featured in Academy award winning composer A R Rehman’s orchestra in World Expo (Dubai). He co-hosted, Sarjana Ke Swar, a TV show on singing styles in Hindustani classical music for Prasar Bharati (India’s National broadcaster). As the secretary and co-founder of non-profit Pandit Siyaram Tiwari Memorial Sangeet Trust®, he puts his diverse experience to the service of music as a festival curator, organizer, collaborator, speaker, writer and trainer for a richer contribution to the scene.
Supported by a Fulbright Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowship for 2024-25, Sumeet is in the USA for the first time hosted as Visiting Associate Professor by the Department of Ethnomusicology, Herb Alpert School of Music, UCLA for Fall 2024 and Winter 2025 terms. During this time, he will run a series of workshops, teach a performance course in Winter quarter, carry out research on Dhrupad with Prof. Anna Morcom besides presenting concerts.
