Sitar Player for Weddings & Events in Houston

Vatsal Dave is a sitarist of the Imdadkhani gharana and a direct disciple of Padma Bhushan Pt. Budhaditya Mukherjee, with over twenty-five years of performance behind him and four released recordings — including Lone Star Sitar, made with Grammy award-winning musician Art Greenhaw. He is based in Dallas–Fort Worth and travels for engagements in Houston.

Houston has one of the largest South Asian communities in the United States, and its wedding season runs long — the Sugar Land and Stafford banquet halls book well ahead for winter dates.

Travelling to Houston

Houston is a four-hour drive from the studio in Dallas–Fort Worth, so there is no airfare and the sitar never goes near an airline baggage belt — it travels in the car. Quotes allow for at least one night's accommodation, so the instrument is tuned and settled well before guests arrive rather than straight off a four-hour drive.

≈240 miles by road from Dallas–Fort Worth · ~4 hours by car

What a Houston booking covers

• Baraat and welcome — solo sitar, or sitar with tabla, as guests arrive.
• Ceremony — ragas chosen for the time of day, played under the rituals without cutting across them.
• Cocktail hour and reception — lighter repertoire, film melodies and Sufi pieces alongside classical.
• Sangeet and mehndi — an ensemble set with tabla, tuned to the room rather than the PA.
• Corporate and private concerts — a seated recital format, with spoken introductions to each raga if you want them.

Serving

Houston, Sugar Land, Katy, Stafford, The Woodlands and Pearland, and the surrounding area.

Also available in Houston, Chicago, New York & New Jersey and Los Angeles — or anywhere else on request. Based in Dallas–Fort Worth.