|
Anoushka Shankar press release CANCELLED The system of Indian music known as Raga Sangeet can be traced back nearly two thousand years to its origin in the Vedic hymns of the Hindu temples, the fundamental source of all Indian music. It is taught directly and orally by master to apprentice, or in this case, father to daughter. On September 20, 2003, Grammy nominated sitarist Anoushka Shankar, daughter of legendary sitar virtuoso and composer Ravi Shankar, comes to Laxson Auditorium to perform the ornate, improvisatory melodic form of skillfully engaging music simply called "raga". Accompanying Ms. Shankar will be tabla player Tanmoy Bose. The performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. and is presented courtesy of Chico Performances. "It's hard to explain what a raga is," says Ravi, "It's a melody form, based on 72 different parent scales. They each have their own ascending and descending structure made up of maybe seven ascending notes and six descending notes. Each raga is associated with a different time of the day from early morning to late night. We start by taking up a raga, playing a slow, serene, fixed composition or we can go straight to a composition where the drums join and choose a tala, any rhythmic cycle from a three beat cycle to a 108 beat cycle. Then you start improvising..." Anoushka spent her formative years in London, where she was born, and by the time she was seven was also living partly in New Delhi, India. She still spends half the year in India performing with her father and visiting her family. At age eleven she moved from London to Encinitas, California, where she graduated in 1999 with honors from public school. In addition to being one of the worlds best sitar players, Anoushka is also a gifted classical pianist with a wide range of interests. But her 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. Anoushka is accustomed to comparisons between herself and her father. "People wonder if I'm only famous because I am his daughter. I'm always going to be the daughter of Ravi Shankar because he's the greatest musician in the world. To follow him musically was the most natural thing for me to do. There's always going to be that pressure of being his daughter. If he thinks I'm playing well, that's good enough for me." Anoushka is dead-set in making her own mark, "I want to earn respect in the classical world. Once I have done that, then I will have the freedom to do other things. But I don't want to hop on any passing bandwagon." At age 24, Anoushka has enjoyed a quite fulfilling musical career of which many musicians can only dream. Having already recorded two full-length studio albums and one live performance entitled Live at Carnegie Hall, she has shared the stage with the likes of Elton John, George Harrison, Patti LaBelle, and been awarded with a House of Commons Shield from the British Parliament for her artistry and musicianship Ð when she was 17, becoming the youngest and sole female recipient of the award. Anoushka began honing her talent at the age of nine when her father brought a "baby" sitar home, made especially for Anoushka. Five years later Anoushka would make her performing debut and appear on her father's recording "In Celebration". Two years after her debut, at age 16 Anoushka would serve as conductor for Ravi and George Harrison's album release "Chants of India". Shortly after, Anoushka signed a contract with Angel/EMI Classics, and in 1998 her first solo recording "Anoushka" was released to great critical acclaim. In 2000, she released her second album "Anourag" which followed with a world tour. One year later Anoushka released a live performance entitled Live at Carnegie Hall, which would later be nominated for a Grammy in the World Music category. Now a seasoned touring artist, Anoushka has performed all throughout India, Europe, Asia, and the United States. She has appeared at numerous festivals including the WOMAD festival where she was the closing act. Anoushka recently teamed up with Eric Clapton and Jeff Lynne at "The Concert for George," honoring the late George Harrison at London's Royal Albert Hall. Anoushka conducted a new composition by her father entitled "Arpan." The work featured a guitar solo by Eric Clapton and performances by 43-musicians playing Indian and Western instruments. Anoushka Shankar's appearance in CSU, Chico's Laxson Auditorium is sponsored in part by: Chico News & Review, City of Chico, Butte College, and KCHO Radio. Advance tickets are $12 for CSU, Chico and Butte College students, $14 for children and other students, $16 for seniors, and $18 for adult admission (all seating is reserved). Tickets are available at the University Box Office (898-6333) or at the following outlets: Terrace Pharmacy on Longfellow Ave, Cal Java in the Raley's Center on Skyway, and at the House of Color in Paradise. Tickets purchased at the door are $2 extra. For disability related accommodations call 898-4325. Chico Performances is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing high quality dance, music and theatre to the residents of the North Valley. Anoushka Shankar is presented by Chico Performances and is supported; in part, by grants from the California Arts Council, a state agency; the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency; Western States Arts Federation; and the City of Chico and its Arts Commission. # # # More information is available on the web at: www.chicoperformances.com Downloadable high resolution images are available at: cricket.csuchico.edu/cp/ To contact this artist please call: Neil Benson (212) 556-5600 Artist web page: www.anoushkashankar.com Chico Performances contact: Daran Marx Finney at (530) 898-6785. This information is available on disk or by email. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (Side bar to Anoushka Shankar press release) STOP: September 21, 2003 Side bar: What is a Sitar? The sitar is the most celebrated of all Indian string instruments. Representing Indian music worldwide, it has come to be identified largely with north Indian raga-music. It is a highly evolved instrument with its own unique language, technique, and various styles of playing. The sitar is a string instrument, approximately three feet long and three inches wide at the neck. It has six to seven main strings and about 11to13 sympathetic strings called tadap strings. The tumba, or body, is attached to the base of the sitar's neck. Sometimes, another tumba of a smaller size is attached to the top of its neck. The tumbas are hollowed out pumpkins. The neck is made of a hollow wooden beam. Fifteen metal frets called pardas are attached to the neck of the sitar. A bridge is affixed to the faceplate, or tabli (which helps to determine tone), over which the main six or seven strings run. The tadapdaar sitar, that is a sitar with additional sympathetic strings, has a smaller bridge placed below the bigger bridge over which the tadap strings are fixed. Traditionally, in the olden days, the bridge would be made of a sambar's (a type of deer) horns or bones. Today, sitar-makers design ebony bridges, which are black in colour and require less amount of servicing. The bridge determines the tone of the sitar. Tuning the sitar is quite confusing. Generally being tuned to C# or D, the sitar's main string, made of steel, is usually tuned to the note madhyam or "ma" for short. The second string, made of brass is tuned lower, the "sa". The next two strings are tuned to gandhar; "ga", and pancham; "pa". The last two strings, known as chikari, are tuned to the middle and upper "sa". Tadap strings are tuned to the notes of the raga chosen by the player. These sympathetic strings are expected to be accurately tuned so that they resound automatically when the notes are played on the main string. To play the sitar, the artist sits cross-legged on a mat on the floor and places the lower tumba on his left foot; the neck rests on the right thigh. The sitar is held at a 45 degree angle. The right hand of the player rests on the lower tumba and the left hand is left free to play movements and scales known as alap and taan movements. An important aspect of sitar playing is the mizrab, which is worn on the first right finger of the player. The mizrab is a metal triangle in which the first finger is placed and used to pluck the main strings of the sitar. More information is available on the web at: www.chicoperformances.com Downloadable high resolution images are available at: cricket.csuchico.edu/cp/ To contact this artist please call: Neil Benson (212) 556-5600 Artist web page: www.anoushkashankar.com Chico Performances contact: Daran Marx Finney at (530) 898-6785. This information is available on disk or by email |