Pandit Shivkumar Sharma is a master instrumentalist of the Santoor. The son of Pandit Uma Dutt Sharma, Shivkumar started learning classical music from his father at a very young age. Along with vocals, Shivkumar also learned Tabla and Santoor. His father researched the folk instrument from the valley of Kashmir and wanted his son to be the first musician to play Indian classical music on the Santoor. Shivkumar started learning the instrument at the age of thirteen. He modified the instrument by adding a new chromatic arrangement of notes and increasing the range to include full three octaves. He then developed a new technique of playing the Santoor to sustain a continuous sound. Shivkumar was able to give Santoor an equal status with other classical instruments and establish its worth both in India and abroad. In 1955, he gave his first public performance in Mumbai, thus fulfilling his father's dream.

The year 1967 saw Kumar teaming up with flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia and Brij Bhusan Kabra for the album, Call of the Valley (1967) which was one of the biggest hits of Indian Classical Music. Kumar and Hariprasad then collaborated to provide music for the film Silsila (1980). Later, the duo came to be known as Shiv-Hari, providing hits such as Faasle (1985), Chandni (1989), Lamhe (1991) and Darr (1993). He is a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Academy Award (1986), an honorary citizenship of the city of Baltimore, the USA in 1985, the Padma Shri in 1991 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2001.