Dr Subhadra Desai is a professional Vocalist of Hindustani Classical genre, and an academic engaged in Music Education and Research. She has toured and given successful solo performances in India and abroad. She is an empanelled artist with Indian Council for Cultural Relations, and an accredited A grade artist at All India Radio in the Devotional Music genre. She has had the honor of presenting solo performances before the President and Vice President of India on several occasions, and also had the privilege of performing solo at the sacred Tirupati temple and at Dwarkanath temple.

Subhadra is sought after for her lecture cum demonstrations and workshops on Indian Music. She has been a Jury member of the Fulbright Fellowship, the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training and the National Selection Committee for Republic Day Parade.

Subhadra has composed and presented ancient texts in Sanskrit and Pali in classical Ragas. These include Advaita: hymns from Vedas and Upanishads; Ashtapadis from Gita Govinda; sacred hymns on Hindu marriage from the Rigveda and Yajurveda; and Buddhist texts from Dhammapada and Sutta Nipata. 

Subhadra has two published books and several research papers on Indian Music and Culture, published in leading academic and cultural journals. Her books: Music in Valmiki’s Ramayana (pub. Shubhi Publications, 2008) is housed in several important libraries including the Loeb Library at Harvard University. Indian Women Seers and their Songs: The Unfettered Note (pub. IGNCA and Aryan Publications, 2017). Her investigations on Samavedic traditions of Vedic chanting is published as part of her research with IGNCA.

Subhadra has been a Faculty at the following Institutions: Ashoka University, Lady Sriram College, New Delhi, National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, New Delhi.

Subhadra’s contribution to Music and Indian Culture has been recognised by: Sanskriti Pratishthan,

Sahitya Kala Parishad, Bhagirathi Award, Woman of the Year Award, and Korea Spring Festival, Korea.