Anoushka Shankar Biography In English
- Anushka Shankar is a British-American sitar player and music artist.
- She was the youngest and first woman to receive the British House of Commons Shield; She has nine Grammy Award nominations and was the first Indian-origin musician to perform live at the ceremony and serve as a presenter.
- She performs in many styles – classical and contemporary, acoustic and electronic.
Birth Details –
Place- London
Date of Birth – 9 June 1981
Marital Status – Married
Family –
Mother- Sukanya Shankar
Father- Ravi Shankar
Sister – Norah Jones
Brother- Shubhendra Shankar
Husband – Joe Wright
Early Life
- Anushka Shankar was born in London and her childhood was divided between London and Delhi.
- She is the daughter of Sukanya Shankar and Indian sitarist Anoushka Shankar, who was 61 when she was born.
- Through her father, she is also the half-sister of American singer Norah Jones and Shubendra “Shubho” Shankar, who died in 1992.
Personal Life
- Shankar is the daughter of Pandit Ravi Shankar and Sukanya Rajan and half-sister of Norah Jones. She grew up in the US, UK and India.
- In 2010, she married British director Joe Wright. He has two sons.
- They separated in December 2017 and finalized their divorce in September 2019. She lives in London with her sons.
Career
- Shankar began training on the sitar at the age of eight with his father, Anoushka Shankar. As part of her training, she accompanied him on tanpura in his performances from the age of ten, becoming immersed in music and used to the stage.
- He gave his first public sitar performance on 27 February 1995 at the age of 13 as a part of his father’s 75th birthday celebration celebrations at Siri Fort, New Delhi.
- By the age of fourteen, she was accompanying her father on concerts around the world. At the age of fifteen, he assisted his father on the landmark album Chants of India, produced by George Harrison.
- He released his debut album, Anushka, in 1998, followed by Anurag in 2000.
- Shankar released Breathing Underwater on 28 August 2007, in collaboration with Indian producer, composer and musician, Varsha Kale. It is a mix of classical sitar and electronica beats and melodies. Notable guest singers included her paternal half-sister Norah Jones, Sting, and her father, who sang a sitar duet with her.
- In 2011 Shankar signed with record label Deutsche Grammophon as a featured artist.
- This marked the beginning of a prolific recording and creative period for Shankar, during which she continued to refine the sitar sound and musical ideas for which she was known.
- In 2013 he released a personal album called Traces of You, which was released several months after the death of his father Ravi Shankar.
Classical Sitar
- Anushka has always continued to tour and perform as a classical sitarist, both within purely Indian classical ensembles, but also with orchestras around the world including the London Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Berliner Philharmoniker, MDR Sinfonieorchester, Metropole Also as a soloist of his father’s compositions with major orchestras.
- Since the composer’s death, Anoushka is the only performer of Shankar’s first and second concertos for sitar and orchestra, which have been performed multiple times under eminent conductors such as the renowned Zubin Mehta, Jules Buckley, Kristen Järvi and Jacob Hrsa.
- In January 2009 she was sitar soloist with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra premiering her father’s Third Concerto for Sitar and Orchestra, and in July 2010 she performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at London’s Royal Festival Hall for sitar and orchestra. Premiere of Ravi Shankar’s first symphony.
Film Scoring
- Shankar made his debut in scoring with a Bengali lullaby, composed for director Joe Wright’s Anna Karenina, starring Keira Knightley, Jude Law and Tannishtha Chatterjee.
- Shankar’s prowess in composing for films led him to undertake the restoration of the British Film Institute’s rare Indian silent Shiraz: A Romance of India (original 1928, scored in 2017).
- In the same year (2017) he co-wrote and performed the end-title song “Gain the Ocean” for the Judi Dench-starring British-American biographical drama Victoria & Abdul, directed by Stephen Frears.
Acting, Writing and Narrating
- Shankar has also ventured into acting and writing. He wrote a biography of his father, Bapi: The Love of My Life, in 2002 and contributed to various books.
- As a columnist, he wrote monthly columns for India’s first city magazine for three years, and spent a year as a weekly columnist for Hindustan Times, India’s second largest newspaper.
Awards
- 1998 – British House of Commons Shield
- 2004 – National Award
- 2005 – Grammy Award
- 2012 – Music Award
- 2013 – Grammy Award
- 2016 – Land of Gold
- 2017 – Culture and Theater Awards
- 2021 – Music Academy
Question Related to Ravi Shankar Biography
What is the birth place and date of birth of Anoushka Shankar?
Anushka Shankar was born on 9 June 1981 in London.
What was Anushka Shankar’s father’s name?
Anushka Shankar’s father’s name was Ravi Shankar.
What is the name of Anushka Shankar’s brother and sister?
Anushka Shankar’s brother’s name was Shubhendra Shankar and sister’s name was Nora Jones.
What was the name of Anushka Shankar’s husband?
Anoushka Shankar’s husband’s name was Joe Wright.
Which award was awarded to Anoushka Shankar?
British House of Commons Shield, National Award, Grammy Award ,Music Award, Grammy Award, Land of Gold, Culture and Theater Awards, Sangeet Akademi Award to Anoushka Shankar
