Synonymous with the ghatam, world-renowned percussionist Giridhar Udupa is one the most loved names in the music industry. After being in the industry for over three decades, collaborating with eminent artists across the globe, having toured to fifty countries, and receiving numerous awards and recognitions, Udupa today stands as a true global icon, a pioneer of Carnatic classical music, & one of the most prominent names in the industry. He is one of the few musicians from India to perform at the prestigious “UNITED NATIONS”, NEW YORK in 2011. He has been part of numerous International Music Festivals & performed at the most prestigious venues in the world including Carnegie Hall – New York (USA), Sydney Opera House - Sydney (Australia), The Kennedy Centre - Washington D.C. (USA), Royal Festival Hall - London (UK) to name a few. His journey started at the age of 4, when he took to percussions under the mentorship of his father Vid. Ullur Nagendra Udupa and he is the youngest Ghatam Vidwan to get “Top Grade” from AIR & Doordarshan - Government of India. He is the founder and director of The Udupa Foundation, a registered charitable trust founded in 2015, with the aim of promoting music, performing arts and culture. He has performed with who's who of the Indian Classical & World Musicians including Vid Umayalpuram K Sivaraman, Vid Guru Karaikudi Mani, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, John Mclaughlin, Pandit HariPrasad Chaurasia, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Trilok Gurtu to name a few.