Anoushka Shankar
Encyclopedia
Anoushka Shankar is a British Indian sitar
player and composer
who lives between the United States, the United Kingdom, and India. She is the daughter of Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar
and Sukanya Shankar. Through her father, she is the half-sister of Norah Jones
.
and attended San Dieguito Academy
. A 1999 Honors graduate, Shankar decided to pursue a career in music rather than attend college.
Anoushka married British director Joe Wright
. Their first child, Zubin Shankar Wright, was born on February 22, 2011.
in New Delhi
. By the age of fourteen, she was accompanying her father at concerts around the world, and signed her first record contract, with Angel Records
(EMI
) at 16.
She released her first album, Anoushka
, in 1998 followed byAnourag in 2000. Both Shankar and Norah Jones were nominated for Grammy awards in 2003 when Anoushka became the youngest-ever and first woman nominee in the World Music category for her third-album, Live at Carnegie Hall.
2005 brought the release of Anoushka’s fourth album RISE, earning her another Grammy nomination in the Best Contemporary World Music
category. In February 2006 she became the first Indian to play at the Grammy Awards.
Shankar, in collaboration with Karsh Kale
, released Breathing Under Water
on 28 August 2007. It is a mix of classical sitar and electronica
beats and melodies. Notable guest vocals include Norah Jones, Sting, and Ravi Shankar who performs a sitar duet with his daughter.
Anoushka has made many guest appearances on recordings by other artists, among them Sting, Lenny Kravitz
and Thievery Corporation
. Duetting with violinist Joshua Bell
, in a sitar-cello duet with Mstislav Rostropovich
, and with flautist Jean-Pierre Rampal
, playing both sitar and piano. Most recently Anoushka has collaborated with Herbie Hancock
on his latest record The Imagine Project
.
Anoushka has given soloist performances of her father's 1st Concerto for Sitar and Orchestra worldwide. In January 2009 she was the sitar soloist alongside the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
for the series of concerts premièring her father’s 3rd Concerto for Sitar and Orchestra, and in July 2010 she premiered Ravi Shankar's first Symphony for Sitar and Orchestra with the London Philharmonic Orchestra
at London's Barbican Hall.
Anoushka has also ventured into acting (Dance Like a Man, (2004)) and writing. She wrote a biography of her father, Bapi: The Love of My Life, in 2002 and has contributed chapters to various books. As a columnist she wrote monthly columns for India's First City Magazine for three years, and spent one year as a weekly columnist for India's largest newspaper, the Hindustan Times
.
Anoushka recorded her next album in Madrid, Spain. Released in autumn 2011 "Traveller" is an exploration of the commonalities and differences between classical Indian music and Spanish flamenco, and features the talents of Shubha Mudgal, Tanmoy Bose, Pepe Habichuela, Sandra Carrasco and Duquende among others.
's The Inner Light
and conducted a new composition written by her father, Arpan, which featured Eric Clapton
on solo guitar at the Concert for George
held at the Royal Albert Hall
in London. It was held in memory of George Harrison
and was modeled after Ravi Shankar's benefit concert with Harrison, the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh.
Anoushka Shankar was invited by Richard Gere
and Philip Glass
to perform in a concert at the Avery Fisher Hall
in 2003 in aid of the Healing the Divide
: A Concert for Peace and Reconciliation.
Shankar and Jethro Tull
postponed a concert scheduled for 29 November 2008 in Mumbai after the 2008 Mumbai attacks
. They reorganized the performance as A Billion Hands Concert
, a benefit performance for victims of the attacks, and held it on 5 December 2008. Shankar commented on this decision stating that: "As a musician, this is how I speak, how I express the anger within me [...] our entire tour has been changed by these events and even though the structure of the concert may remain the same, emotionally perhaps we are saying a lot more."
(PETA). She and her father appeared in a thirty-second public-service announcement against animal suffering. Anoushka is also the spokesperson for the United Nations
World Food Programme
in India.
Sitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
player and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
who lives between the United States, the United Kingdom, and India. She is the daughter of Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar , often referred to by the title Pandit, is an Indian musician and composer who plays the plucked string instrument sitar. He has been described as the best known contemporary Indian musician by Hans Neuhoff in Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart.Shankar was born in Varanasi and spent...
and Sukanya Shankar. Through her father, she is the half-sister of Norah Jones
Norah Jones
Norah Jones is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress.In 2002, she launched her solo music career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album Come Away With Me, which was certified a diamond album in 2002, selling over 20 million copies...
.
Personal life and education
Shankar was born in London and divided her childhood between London and Delhi. As a teenager, she lived in Encinitas, CaliforniaEncinitas, California
Encinitas is a coastal beach city in San Diego County, California. Located within Southern California, it is approximately north of San Diego in North County and about south of Los Angeles. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 59,518, up from 58,014 at the 2000 census. Encinitas is...
and attended San Dieguito Academy
San Dieguito Academy
San Dieguito AcademyPrincipalTim HornigSchool typePublicFounded1936LocationEncinitas, California, United StatesEnrollment1,528Faculty115Campus surroundingsSuburbanMascotMustangNewspaperThe MustangYearbook...
. A 1999 Honors graduate, Shankar decided to pursue a career in music rather than attend college.
Anoushka married British director Joe Wright
Joe Wright
Joe Wright is an English film director best known for Pride and Prejudice, Atonement and Hanna.-Early life and career:...
. Their first child, Zubin Shankar Wright, was born on February 22, 2011.
Career
Shankar began training on the sitar with her father as a child, and gave her first public performance at the age of thirteen at Siri FortSiri Fort
Siri Fort, in the city of New Delhi, was built during the rule of Ala-ud-Din Khalji of the Delhi Sultanate to defend the city from the onslaught of the Mongols....
in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
. By the age of fourteen, she was accompanying her father at concerts around the world, and signed her first record contract, with Angel Records
Angel Records
Angel Records is a record label belonging to EMI. It was formed in 1953 and specialised in classical music, but included an occasional operetta or Broadway score...
(EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
) at 16.
She released her first album, Anoushka
Anoushka (album)
Anoushka is the debut album of Indian sitar player Anoushka Shankar, released in 1998. The pieces begin with a slow introduction of fluid rhythms and build in a crescendo to a spirited display of virtuosity with tabla accompaniment...
, in 1998 followed byAnourag in 2000. Both Shankar and Norah Jones were nominated for Grammy awards in 2003 when Anoushka became the youngest-ever and first woman nominee in the World Music category for her third-album, Live at Carnegie Hall.
2005 brought the release of Anoushka’s fourth album RISE, earning her another Grammy nomination in the Best Contemporary World Music
Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album
The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album was an honor presented to recording artists between 2004 and 2011 for quality contemporary world music albums...
category. In February 2006 she became the first Indian to play at the Grammy Awards.
Shankar, in collaboration with Karsh Kale
Karsh Kale
Karsh Kale is an Indian American musician, producer and composer, and is considered one of the pioneering figures in defining the Asian Underground genre by mixing disparate genres of music such as Indian classical and folk with electronica, rock, pop and ambient music...
, released Breathing Under Water
Breathing Under Water
Breathing Under Water is an album by Anoushka Shankar and Karsh Kale released on August 28, 2007. This album ranked #83 in sales at BarnesAndNoble.com. Shankar and Kale expand beyond cultural and traditional borders of music with this collaboration...
on 28 August 2007. It is a mix of classical sitar and electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
beats and melodies. Notable guest vocals include Norah Jones, Sting, and Ravi Shankar who performs a sitar duet with his daughter.
Anoushka has made many guest appearances on recordings by other artists, among them Sting, Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz
Leonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and arranger, whose "retro" style incorporates elements of rock, soul, R&B, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk and ballads...
and Thievery Corporation
Thievery Corporation
Thievery Corporation is a Washington, D.C. based recording artist and DJ duo consisting of Rob Garza, Eric Hilton, and their supporting artists, including current drummer Jeff Franca...
. Duetting with violinist Joshua Bell
Joshua Bell
Joshua David Bell is an American Grammy Award-winning violinist.-Childhood:Bell was born in Bloomington, Indiana, United States, the son of a psychologist and a therapist. Bell's father is the late Alan P...
, in a sitar-cello duet with Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, KBE , known to close friends as Slava, was a Soviet and Russian cellist and conductor. He was married to the soprano Galina Vishnevskaya. He is widely considered to have been the greatest cellist of the second half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest of...
, and with flautist Jean-Pierre Rampal
Jean-Pierre Rampal
Jean-Pierre Louis Rampal was a French flautist. He has been personally "credited with returning to the flute the popularity as a solo classical instrument it had not held since the 18th century."-Early years:...
, playing both sitar and piano. Most recently Anoushka has collaborated with Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
on his latest record The Imagine Project
The Imagine Project
The Imagine Project is an album by Herbie Hancock released on June 22, 2010. The album, which was recorded in many locations throughout the world and features collaborations from various artists, was complemented by a documentary about the recording process. Hancock's interpretations of these songs...
.
Anoushka has given soloist performances of her father's 1st Concerto for Sitar and Orchestra worldwide. In January 2009 she was the sitar soloist alongside the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is a Grammy Award-winning classical music chamber orchestra based in New York City. It is known for its collaborative leadership style in which the musicians, not a conductor, interpret the score....
for the series of concerts premièring her father’s 3rd Concerto for Sitar and Orchestra, and in July 2010 she premiered Ravi Shankar's first Symphony for Sitar and Orchestra with the London Philharmonic Orchestra
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
at London's Barbican Hall.
Anoushka has also ventured into acting (Dance Like a Man, (2004)) and writing. She wrote a biography of her father, Bapi: The Love of My Life, in 2002 and has contributed chapters to various books. As a columnist she wrote monthly columns for India's First City Magazine for three years, and spent one year as a weekly columnist for India's largest newspaper, the Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded in 1924 with roots in the Indian independence movement of the period ....
.
Anoushka recorded her next album in Madrid, Spain. Released in autumn 2011 "Traveller" is an exploration of the commonalities and differences between classical Indian music and Spanish flamenco, and features the talents of Shubha Mudgal, Tanmoy Bose, Pepe Habichuela, Sandra Carrasco and Duquende among others.
Benefit concerts
On 29 November 2002, she performed George HarrisonGeorge Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
's The Inner Light
The Inner Light (song)
"The Inner Light" is a song written by George Harrison that was first released by The Beatles as a B-side to "Lady Madonna". It was the first Harrison composition to be featured on a Beatles single. The lyrics are a rendering of the 47th chapter of the Taoist Tao Te Ching...
and conducted a new composition written by her father, Arpan, which featured Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
on solo guitar at the Concert for George
Concert for George
The Concert for George was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 29 November 2002 as a memorial to George Harrison on the first anniversary of his death. The event was organized by Harrison's widow, Olivia, and son, Dhani, and arranged under the musical direction of Eric Clapton and Jeff Lynne...
held at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
in London. It was held in memory of George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
and was modeled after Ravi Shankar's benefit concert with Harrison, the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh.
Anoushka Shankar was invited by Richard Gere
Richard Gere
Richard Tiffany Gere is an American actor. He began acting in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and a starring role in Days of Heaven. He came to prominence in 1980 for his role in the film American Gigolo, which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol...
and Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
to perform in a concert at the Avery Fisher Hall
Avery Fisher Hall
Avery Fisher Hall is a concert hall, in New York City and is part of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts complex. It is the home of the New York Philharmonic, with a capacity of 2,738 seats.-History:...
in 2003 in aid of the Healing the Divide
Healing the Divide
Healing the Divide was created to challenge existing, failed modes of thought and action and to foster the kind of revolutionary transformations needed to break the bonds of ignorance, intolerance and injustice....
: A Concert for Peace and Reconciliation.
Shankar and Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
postponed a concert scheduled for 29 November 2008 in Mumbai after the 2008 Mumbai attacks
2008 Mumbai attacks
The 2008 Mumbai attacks were more than 10 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai, India's largest city, by Islamist attackers who came from Pakistan...
. They reorganized the performance as A Billion Hands Concert
A Billion Hands Concert
A Billion Hands Concert was a benefit performance held on 5 December 2008 in Mumbai, India, by Anoushka Shankar and Jethro Tull. All proceeds from the concert went to victims of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks....
, a benefit performance for victims of the attacks, and held it on 5 December 2008. Shankar commented on this decision stating that: "As a musician, this is how I speak, how I express the anger within me [...] our entire tour has been changed by these events and even though the structure of the concert may remain the same, emotionally perhaps we are saying a lot more."
Awards
- British House of Commons Shield, 1998
- Voted Homecoming San Dieguito High School, Class of 1999
- Woman of the Year (shared with Kareena KapoorKareena KapoorKareena Kapoor , often informally referred to as Bebo, is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. During her career, Kapoor has received six Filmfare Awards, among nine nominations, and has been noted for her performances in a range of film genres; these include her work from contemporary...
, Ritu BeriRitu BeriRitu Beri is a New Delhi based International fashion designer. She is the first Asian designer to head the French fashion brand, Scherrer.-Career:...
, and Rhea PillaiRhea PillaiRhea Pillai is an Indian model. She is a brand ambassador for various products and an instructor for the Art of Living Foundation.-Biography:Her father is Raymond Pillai, a financial controller at IBM Europe...
) awarded on International Women's Day 2003 - Named as one of 20 Asian Heroes by the Asia edition of TimeTime (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
in 2004 - Nominated for a Grammy award in 2003 in the World Music category for her third-album, Live at Carnegie Hall. She was the youngest-ever and first woman nominee in this category.
- In 2005 she was nominated for another Grammy, in the Best Contemporary World Music category for her fourth album RISE.
Activism
Shankar is a supporter of animal rights and People for the Ethical Treatment of AnimalsPeople for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an American animal rights organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. A non-profit corporation with 300 employees and two million members and supporters, it claims to be the largest animal rights...
(PETA). She and her father appeared in a thirty-second public-service announcement against animal suffering. Anoushka is also the spokesperson for the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
World Food Programme
World Food Programme
The World Food Programme is the food aid branch of the United Nations, and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger worldwide. WFP provides food, on average, to 90 million people per year, 58 million of whom are children...
in India.
Studio albums
- AnoushkaAnoushka (album)Anoushka is the debut album of Indian sitar player Anoushka Shankar, released in 1998. The pieces begin with a slow introduction of fluid rhythms and build in a crescendo to a spirited display of virtuosity with tabla accompaniment...
(1998) - AnouragAnouragAnourag is an album of Indian classical music performed by Anoushka Shankar, released in 2000. Anoushka Shankar's father, sitar master Ravi Shankar, adapted six ragas for her to play on this album.- Track listing :All songs by Ravi Shankar....
(2000) - Live at Carnegie HallLive at Carnegie Hall (Anoushka Shankar album)Live at Carnegie Hall is a live album by Anoushka Shankar released in 2001, and recorded at Carnegie Hall in New York and at the Salisbury Festival...
(2001) - RiseRise (Anoushka Shankar album)Rise is an album by Anoushka Shankar released on September 27, 2005. The album was chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005 . On previous recordings, Anoushka Shankar had followed in the footsteps of her father, Ravi Shankar, by performing relatively traditional, raga-based music...
(2005) - Rise Remixes (2006)
- Breathing Under WaterBreathing Under WaterBreathing Under Water is an album by Anoushka Shankar and Karsh Kale released on August 28, 2007. This album ranked #83 in sales at BarnesAndNoble.com. Shankar and Kale expand beyond cultural and traditional borders of music with this collaboration...
(2007) - Traveller (2011)
Live and compilations
- Full Circle: Live at Carnegie Hall- Ravi Shankar (2000)
- Concert for GeorgeConcert for George (album)Concert for George is a live tribute soundtrack album in honour of George Harrison, issued in 2003 in conjunction with the simultaneous DVD release of the same name...
(2003) - Healing the Divide: A Concert for Peace and Reconciliation (2007)
- Live In Concert at the Nehru Park, New Delhi (2005)
Features
- Variant Moods – Duet For Sitar & Violin (Abridged Version) Written by Ravi Shankar, At Home With Friends by Joshua Bell 2009
- Charu Keshi Rain – Co-written by Nitin SawhneyNitin SawhneyNitin Sawhney is an Indian-British musician, producer and composer. His critically acclaimed work combines Asian and other worldwide influences with elements of jazz and electronica and often explores themes such as multiculturalism, politics and spirituality...
and Anoushka Shankar, London Undersound 2008 - Mandala – Featuring Anoushka Shankar on sitar. Co-written by Hilton Garza, Radio Retaliation
- Beloved – by Anoushka Shankar remixed by Thievery CorporationThievery CorporationThievery Corporation is a Washington, D.C. based recording artist and DJ duo consisting of Rob Garza, Eric Hilton, and their supporting artists, including current drummer Jeff Franca...
– Versions 2006 - Rebirth – Co-written by Gaurav Raina, Tapan Raj and Anoushka Shankar. MIDIval Times 2005
- Sacred Love – by Sting 2003
- 8 classical ragas performed on ShankaRagamala composed by Ravi Shankar 2005
- Chants Of India – Ravi Shankar; George HarrisonGeorge HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
, featuring Anoushka as Conductor & Assistant 1997 - Adarini – In Celebration composed by Ravi Shankar 1995
External links
- Official site
- The show must go on – Video interview about A Billion Hands ConcertA Billion Hands ConcertA Billion Hands Concert was a benefit performance held on 5 December 2008 in Mumbai, India, by Anoushka Shankar and Jethro Tull. All proceeds from the concert went to victims of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks....
- Anoushka Shankar: Different Worlds, One Musical Language – Video interview about performing Ravi ShankarRavi ShankarRavi Shankar , often referred to by the title Pandit, is an Indian musician and composer who plays the plucked string instrument sitar. He has been described as the best known contemporary Indian musician by Hans Neuhoff in Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart.Shankar was born in Varanasi and spent...
's Concerto No. 3 for Sitar and Orchestra. - Anoushka Shankar Live : Gypsy Music From India to Spain on Medici.tv