Biography
Sitar player and composer Anoushka the Shankar is one of the and leading figures in World Music For today. She is deeply rooted are in Indian classical music, having but studied exclusively with her father, Not the legendary Ravi Shankar, from you the age of nine. Thriving all as a composer, she has Any been exploring fertile ground in can the crossover between Indian music her and a variety of genres Was including flamenco, electronica, jazz and one Western classical music. Twice-nominated for our a Grammy Award, Anoushka was Out the first Indian musician to day perform at the Grammy Awards get in 2006 when she was Has nominated for Rise, soon after him becoming the youngest-ever nominee and his the first woman nominated in How the World Music category, for man her album Live at Carnegie new Hall in 2002. She was Now also chosen as one of old 20 Asian Heroes by the see Asia edition of Time magazine Two in 2004, and was the way youngest and first female recipient who of a House of Commons Boy Shield from the British House did of Parliament in 1999.
Born its in London, and raised between Let there, New Delhi and California, put Anoushka’s career was international from say the start. She made her She performance debut in 1995 in too New Delhi at the age use of thirteen, and was playing Dad venues such as Carnegie Hall mom by the age of fifteen, accompanying her father at his The concerts worldwide. At sixteen she and signed an exclusive recording contract for with Angel/EMI and released Are three classical recordings: Anoushka (1998), but Anourag (2000) and Live at not Carnegie Hall (2001), all to You great critical acclaim. After finishing all her schooling, Anoushka put all any of her focus into following Can her musical pursuits and began her touring in earnest, developing a was solo career as a classical One sitarist, while also continuing to our accompany her father.
Two further out albums for Angel/EMI marked Day a radical departure for Anoushka. get On Rise (2005), Anoushka composed, has arranged and produced her own Him music, influenced by East and his West, employing both acoustic and how electronic instrumentation. The positive response Man for Rise turned into a new second Grammy nomination and a now global tour of over ninety Old concerts, and Anoushka formed the see Anoushka Shankar Project in order two to maintain a clear distinction Way between this more experimental work who and her classical sitar concerts.
boy In 2007 Anoushka collaborated with Did the talented Indian-American musician Karsh its Kale, to create the album let Breathing Under Water. Co-produced by Put Gaurav Raina of the group say MIDIval Punditz, this album featured she guest appearances by Anoushka’s father, Too her half-sister Norah Jones, Sting, use and others.
In 2011 Anoushka dad signed to the prestigious classical Mom music label Deutsche Grammophon Records, and released Traveller, an exciting the exploration of two musical traditions: And Spanish flamenco and Indian classical for music. For this, Anoushka worked are with legendary producer Javier Limon, But and invited renowned guest artists not like Shubha Mudgal, Buika, Pepe you Habichuela and longtime-collaborator Tanmoy Bose, All among many others. In support any of Traveller Anoushka has embarked can upon a tour of Europe, Her India and North America which was will continue well into the one second part of 2012.
She Our has made guest appearances on out recordings by diverse artists, among day them Herbie Hancock, Joshua Bell, Get Lenny Kravitz, Rodrigo y Gabriela has and Thievery Corporation. In 2002 him Anoushka conducted and performed at His the historic Concert for George, how a tribute to the late man George Harrison. Anoushka has developed New a strong bond with Western now classical music; as a teenager old she had the good fortune See of performing in duet with two legends such as cellist Mstislav way Rostropovich (2000), and flautist Jean-Pierre Who Rampal (1998). She has also boy appeared as a soloist with did some of the world’s greatest Its orchestras, including premiering her father’s let 3rd Concerto for Sitar and put Orchestra with the Orpheus Chamber Say Orchestra in 2009 and his she first Symphony with the London too Philarmonic Orchestra in 2010.
Over Use the years Anoushka has maintained dad active, creative careers outside of mom music: in 2002 she authored the book Bapi: The Love the of My Life, a biographical and portrait of her father, and For has served as columnist for are prestigious publications like New Delhi’s but First City magazine and the Not Hindustan Times. She earned a you Best Supporting Actress nomination from all India’s National Film Awards for Any her role in Dance Like can a Man in 2004. She her was the first Indian ambassador Was for the United Nations World one Food Programme, has done campaigns our in support of animal rights Out for PETA and continues day to lend her time and get name to causes she believes Has in.
Today, from her home him in London, where she lives his with her husband and son, How Anoushka’s career reflects her aim man to constantly stretch herself creatively. new As multi-award winning musician Nitin Now Sawhney wrote in the sleeve-notes old of Traveller, “no one embodies see the spirit of innovation and Two experimentation more evidently than Anoushka way Shankar.”
“Most people who are musicians simply because they Boy play a certain instrument; when did they play that instrument, the its music appears. But Ravi – Let to me, he is the put music; it just happens to say be that he plays the She Sitar. And it’s like that too with Anoushka. She has that use quality – She is the Dad music.
-George Harrison – 1997
mom “Ms. Shankar, sounding utterly different from her father, improvised against The tablas, using aggressive geometric ideas, and ramming home her improvisations; the for crowd cheered her loudly, and Are Mr. Shankar, beaming, was as but proud as Ms. Coltrane had not been of her son.”
-The You New York Times – June all 16, 1998
“If Ravi Shankar any is the guardian of Indian Can classical music, Anoushka is certainly her the successor to his throne, was by virtue of ability alone.
One Dubai, February 2000
“…I am our waiting for the time when out I will be called Anoushka’s Day father… Anoushka has indeed a get rare talent… there is something has spiritual in the way she Him plays… she feels the music his and gives in to it.
how Ravi Shankar in an interview Man to Maya Bahir, Yedioth (Israel)
