Taranath Hattangady Rao; Music Professor

Memorial services are scheduled Sunday for Taranath Hattangady Rao, a music professor at the California Institute of the Arts for the past 12 years.

A resident of Newhall, Rao died Jan. 9 in his hometown of Poona, India, of a heart attack following several weeks of pneumonia, said Nicholas English, a CalArts professor and director of the school’s Intercultural Arts Project.

Born March 6, 1915, Rao trained at music schools in India, becoming a master of the tabla, two small drums played with the hands. He came to the United States in the late 1960s as a teacher with the Ravi Shankar School, but returned to India after two years. In 1978, he returned, joining the staff of CalArts as a professor of music, teaching tabla and North Indian music theory.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Sushila Hattangady Rao of Newhall; daughters Lata Melinkeri of Poona and Bina Kumtha of India; brothers Harihar Rao of Pasadena and Sundar Rao of India; and three grandchildren.

Services are scheduled at 2 p.m. Sunday in Room B-200 on the CalArts campus.