Born into the music tradition of India, Naren Budhakar began performing at a young age. A disciple of Tabla Maestro Ustad Shabbir Nisar, Naren has played with prominent instrumentalists, vocalists and dancers including Pandit Birju Maharaj, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Pandit Jasraj and Shaed Parvez and has performed at prestigious venues in the U.S. and Europe. He has provided Tabla accompaniment for various musical genres and has played with La Monte Young and Bobby Mc Ferrin and recorded with Alicia Keys. Naren is co-director of the East-West School of Music and as a faculty member teaches and performs regularly.