Brandon McIntosh is an internationally celebrated performer and teacher of Indian classical music. His primary instrument is sarod, a 22 stringed instrument like a fretless banjo .
Brandon founded the Seattle Raga Institute, a school in Sammamish, WA dedicated to teaching North Indian Classical Music to nearly 200 kids carrying on the tradition of the Senia Shahjahanpur Gharana on piano, sarod, sitar and guitar.
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Brandon McIntosh is an internationally acclaimed sarod performer and a pioneering teacher of Indian classical music on the piano. His compositions honor the rich traditions of raga music while drawing on his training in Western techniques.
He earned his undergraduate degree in percussion from Central Washington University and a master’s degree in composition from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Brandon has studied the sarod for over 25 years and had the great privilege of learning under Padma Bhushan award winning sarod maestro Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta for over 15 years.
His journey into Indian classical music began in 1997, when he received a grant to study dhrupad—the oldest surviving form of Indian classical music—while completing his percussion studies. Since then, he has performed across the United States, India, Russia, France, and Belgium at various universities, organizations, embassies and festivals.
He is also a founding member and current President of the Seattle Raga Institute, which teaches North Indian classical music to nearly 200 students in the greater Seattle area on instruments including piano, guitar, sarod, and sitar. In 2020 and 2024, toured West Bengal India with his students. The school is committed not only to music education but also to community service, regularly volunteering at soup kitchens and raising funds for disaster relief efforts.
"A student must inspire the teacher to teach"
Ustad Zakir Hussain
Anjuman: Indian Afro-Cuban Ensemble
Brandon also plays sarod in Seattle based fusion band Anjuman, which combines the rhythmic vitality of Cuban salsa drumming with the soulful melodies of Indian classic. They have been playing for over 15 years together, with Phil Georgas on bass, and Seth Littlefield on drums.