Gopal Chandra Panda

He has collected and documented traditional compositions in over a hundred Ragas in his published works. Panda's compositions are widely sung in Odissi music recitals and employed in Odissi dance. He has worked closely with the founding Gurus of Odissi dance, including Guru Deba Prasad Das and toured around the globe as the chief singer for recitals of Indrani Rahman, one of the first professional Odissi dancers. Panda has also composed all the ashtapadis of Jayadeva's Gitagovinda following the original Raga-Tala indications of the 12th-century poet, in an attempt to approximate a reconstruction of the same.

Panda started his initial training in Odissi music from his father Nilamani Panda and his elder brother Nandakishore Panda. He continued his training under Guru Damodar Panda and Adiguru Singhari Shyamsundar Kar. He served as a lecturer in the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya from 1972 onwards, and as the head of the Odissi music department from 1984 to 1998. Panda's disciples are among the foremost exponents of Odissi music in the present times, including Guru Ramhari Das, Mitali Chinara and Binod Bihari Panda. His daughters Sangita Panda and Sarita Panda are renowned vocalists.

Pandit Gopal Chandra Panda (Odia: ଗୋପାଳ ଚନ୍ଦ୍ର ପଣ୍ଡା, romanized: Gopāḷa Chandra Paṇḍā; born 1940) is a Guru of Odissi classical music, vocalist, researcher and composer. A disciple of Singhari Shyamsundar Kar, he has authored several books such as Odissi Raga Ratnabali & Odissi Raga Darpana, and is acclaimed for his efforts to collect & document several traditional Odissi ragas from the hinterlands. Panda served as a lecturer and head of department in the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya for nearly three decades. He has performed in music festivals across the country and is the founder of the Gopal Panda Odissi Academy. In 2011, Panda received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his contributions to Odissi music.

Gopal Chandra Panda was born in the village of Ramakrusnapura in the Bhadrak district of Odisha in 1940. His father Nilamani Panda initiated him into Odissi music, and his elder brother Nandakishore Panda continued his musical training. He further learned Odissi music under Guru Damodar Panda and Gayakaratna Guru Singhari Shyamsundar Kar. Panda also learned Hindustani music from Pt. Kundala Adinarayana and Pt. Gobind Chandra Paluskar.