Rishabh Kaushik

Rishabh Kaushik (17) is a vocalist and keyboardist from Los Angeles, California. He comes from a family with a rich musical lineage that traces back to the eminent mridangist Vid. Thanjavur Vaidyanatha Iyer, Palghat Ghatam Sundaram, and extends to distinguished musicians of the current generation such as Mullaivasal Chandramouli and Rohan Krishnamurthy.

A disciple of Vid. K.N. Shashikiran and Vid. Sivaralaxmi Maya Abhishek, Rishabh has developed strong proficiency in both Carnatic vocal music and keyboard performance, presenting concerts that reflect depth, creativity, and musical maturity beyond his years.

Rishabh gave his maiden performance at the age of nine during the Chennai Margazhi music season, and over the last 8 years has performed in over 120 concerts internationally across the United States, India, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, and Belgium at several prestigious venues.

In India, he has performed at renowned sabhas and institutions including Narada Gana Sabha, Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha, Kartik Fine Arts, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Chembur Fine Arts, and Hamsadhwani, among others. In the United States, he has presented concerts at prominent platforms such as the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana, Pallavi Darbar, Global–Silicon Andhra University, Mahaperiyava Manimandapam, and many other cultural forums.

Rishabh is the recipient of several prestigious recognitions such as The Youth Cultural Ambassador Award from Hamsadhwani, and being the youngest inductee in the Carnatic keyboard category into the Live4You Hall of Fame (2022), presented by Shri N. Murali of The Music Academy, Chennai. He is also a Global Music Award recipient and a Gold Medal winner in Advanced Contemporary Piano. Additionally, he has received numerous accolades in Carnatic Vocal and Keyboard competitions at the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana, and has won over 13 prizes in the Sugam Culture and Heritage Foundation International Music Contest.

Recently he was the recipient along with Nivi Mahesh of the prestigious India Art Foundsyion research grant to continue their work on inclusive arts.

Beyond performance, Rishabh is deeply committed to using music for social impact. Through his initiative “Service Through Music,” he actively promotes inclusion by collaborating with artists with disabilities in his concerts, teaching music to neurodiverse children, and incorporating technology-assisted music presentations. His concerts also integrate Cymatics technology and sign language, creating an inclusive and immersive musical experience for the hearing-impaired community.

Rishabh’s music and social initiatives have been widely recognized and featured in over ten international newspapers and magazines, including The Hindu (notably the prestigious Friday Review), The Times of India, DT Next, and several other national and international publications.