An Evening with Anoushka Shankar

"A virtuoso performance that held the capacity crowd spellbound" - The Chicago Tribune

Grammy-award nominee Anoushka Shankar will perform on the stage of Appalachian State University's Farthing Auditorium - enchanting the audience with her haunting sitar melodies - as part of the Rise tour by the Anoushka Shankar Project Complimentary Indian tea will be served in the lobby after the show.

Often connected by the media with her father, the legendary sitar virtuoso and composer Ravi Shankar, and her half-sister, pop star Norah Jones, Anoushka Shankar has shown herself to be a unique artist in her own right. With each of her artistic endeavors, she demonstrates tremendous talent and understanding of India's great musical tradition. The only artist in the world to be trained completely by her father, she has been playing and studying the sitar with him since she was nine. At age thirteen, she made her performing debut in New Delhi, India. That same year, Shankar entered the recording studio for the first time to play on her father's recording, In Celebration. Two years later, she helped as conductor with her father and dear friend George Harrison on the 1997 release, Chants of India. In the fall of 1998 her first solo recording, Anoushka, was released to tremendous critical acclaim. Live at Carnegie Hall followed in 2001, and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best World Music Album, making her the youngest ever nominee in that category. She also played sitar on her father's Grammy Award-winning album Full Circle: Carnegie Hall 2000, and has appeared as a sitarist on several other CDs including Sting's Sacred Love.

Shankar's latest recording, Rise, which she composed, produced and arranged herself, was met with enthusiastic reviews. On Rise, she collaborates with a select crew of virtuoso Eastern and Western musicians. Wielding a variety of both acoustic and electronic instruments, they engage in often-unexpected ways to create tantalizing new sounds.

National Public Radio's Susan Stamberg comments that, "On Rise, Shankar moves beyond the classical tradition of her father, mixing up a broad range of world music styles and instruments - flamenco piano, Indian slide guitar, electronic sounds, and, of course, the sitar. The result is a sensual, ethereal sound." One Way magazine raves, "On Rise, Anoushka proves she should not simply be labeled Ravi Shankar's prodigy daughter. Rather, she deserves recognition as an independent, bold musician bringing Eastern music to the West with respect for her rich heritage, but with a treatment all her own."

Also a gifted classical pianist, Shankar's devotion to the sitar and to her father's guidance is unmistakable, with a discipline that has led her into an already extraordinary performing career. Joining Shankar for the March 20 performance will be Tanmoy Bose (tabla), Leo Dombecki (multi-instrumentalist), Ravichandra Kulur (tambourine), Aditya Prakash (vocals), Clarence Gonsalves (bass), Jesse Charnow (percussion) and Sanjeev Shankar (Shahnai and tanpura).

In connection with Anoushka Shankar's performance at Appalachian, the Office of Arts & Cultural Programs and the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts are proud to present a A Celebration of Indian Arts and Culture, a series of events beginning with the performance by Anoushka Shankar on March 20 and continuing through March 23. This celebration, which will feature Indian classical music, classical Indian dance, a fascinating lecture/slideshow, and a special visual arts event for children, will demonstrate some of the rich cultural traditions of India. Special thanks go out to Christine Dave and Dr. Guha Krishnaswamy for their assistance in organizing the weeklong Celebration of Indian Arts and Culture. These events are funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Southern Arts Federation and the North Carolina Arts Council.

Late Seating Policy applies.