| Honorific Prefix: | Pandit |
| Hom Nath Upadhyaya | |
| Birth Date: | 4 July 1943 |
| Birth Place: | Kathmandu, Nepal |
| Death Place: | Kathmandu, Nepal |
| Nationality: | Nepali |
| Education: | MA in Music |
| Alma Mater: | Prayag Sangeet Samiti |
| Occupation: | Tabla player, musician |
| Known For: | Being the royal court musician |
| Awards: | Kirateshwar Sangeetshram Award |
Pandit Hom Nath Upadhyaya (4 July 1943 - 7 September 2016) was a Nepali tabla player who specialized in Hindustani classical music. Upadhyaya served as royal court musician in Nepal.
He was born on 4 July 1943 (20 Ashar 2000 BS) in Gyaneshwor, Kathmandu to father Tulsi Prasad Upadhyaya and mother Bhagirathi Upadhyaya.[1] He received training in tabla from Pandit Ramji Mishra, Pandit Shambhu Mishra, and Ahmed Jan Thirakwa.[2] In addition, Upadhyaya obtained a B.A. in English, History, and Sanskrit from Gorakhpur University and an M.A. in Music from Prayag Sangeet Samiti in Allahabad, India.[3]
Upadhyaya served as royal court musician in Nepal.[4] He played globally as a soloist and accompanist in both Hindustani and Western musical traditions, including for artists such as Manilal Nag,[5] Tarun Bhattacharya,[6] Mahesh Kale,[4] Steve Gorn,[7] Jim Pepper,[8] and Paul Livingstone.[9] He also played in the film orchestra of Bollywood music director S. D. Burman.[10]
Upadhyaya taught extensively, both privately and at institutions such as the Royal Nepal Academy, Tribhuvan University, and the University of California, Santa Barbara.[2] [11] [12] He has authored two books on tabla, one each in Nepali (Rhythmic Garland) and English (From Kashi To Kantipur: Theory, Practice and History of the Banaras Gharana of Tabla).[2] [13] His students include his son Pramod Upadhyaya,[14] Sarita Mishra,[15] [16] Dheeraj Shreshtha,[17] Atul Gautam, Rob Wallace,[18] Rabin Lal Shreshtha,[19] and Achyut Ram Bhandari.[20]
Upadhyaya was conferred the Kirateshwar Sangeetshram Award and Nararaj Dhakal Award, and was a recipient of the Narayan Sangeet Pratishtan Fellowship of the Royal Nepal Academy and collaborative project grant from the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center, University of California, Santa Barbara.[21] [12] [22]
Upadhyaya died on 7 September 2016 in Om Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal.