March 25, 2003
Contact: Susan Gwynne
(805) 893-2098
e-mail: gwynne-s@sa.ucsb.edu
Indian music master Ravi Shankar and his sitar prodigy daughter Anoushka Shankar to perform at the Arlington Theatre
Summary Facts:
- Ravi and Anoushka Shankar
- The foremost classical Indian musician and his sitar prodigy daughter
- Ravi Shankar popularized the sitar and Indian music in the West
- The Shankars’ first joint concert in Santa Barbara
- Thursday, May 1 / 8 pm
- Arlington Theatre, 1317 State St., Santa Barbara
- General: $50/$40, UCSB students: $25 (limited availability)
- $100 patron seating includes a private post-performance reception with the artists to benefit UCSB Arts & Lectures
- Tickets/information: UCSB Arts & Lectures at 893-3535 or the Arlington Ticket Agency at 963-4408
UCSB Arts & Lectures presents India’s most esteemed musical ambassador Ravi Shankar, along with his sitar prodigy daughter Anoushka Shankar, performing together in Santa Barbara for the first time on Thursday, May 1 at 8 pm in the Arlington Theatre, 1317 State St., Santa Barbara. A legendary sitarist, composer, performer and teacher, Ravi Shakar has done more for Indian music than any other musician has. He is well known for his pioneering work in bringing Indian music to the West, collaborating with artists ranging from George Harrison and the Beatles to Philip Glass. Just 21, Anoushka Shankar has shown herself to be a unique artist with tremendous talent and understanding of the great musical tradition of India. The only artist in the world to be trained completely by her father, Anoushka has been playing and studying with him since she was nine. In 1997 George Harrison claimed about the two Shankars, “Most people are musicians simply because they play a certain instrument; when they play that instrument, the music appears. But Ravi, to me he is the music; it just happens to be that he plays the sitar. And it’s like that with Aoushka; she has that quality. She is the music.”
Ravi Shankar helped create the notion of World Music in the United States when he took part in three memorable concerts in the 1960s—the Monterey Pop Festival, the Concert for Bangladesh and the Woodstock Festival. But bringing Indian classical music and the sitar to world prominence happened only after long years of dedicated study under his illustrious guru Baba Allaudin Khan and after making a name for himself in India. The respect he commands both in India and in the West is unique in the annals of the history of music. Violin virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin asserts, “Ravi Shankar has brought me a precious gift and through him I have added a new dimension to my experience of music. To me, his genius and his humanity can only be compared to that of Mozart’s.”
Ravi Shankar has written two concertos for sitar and orchestra, violin-sitar compositions for Yehudi Menuhin and himself, music for flute virtuoso Jean Pierre Rampal, music for Hosan Yamamoto, master of the Shakuhachi and Musumi Miyashita, Koto virtuoso, and collaborated with Phillip Glass. George Harrison produced and participated in two record albums, Shankar Family & Friends and Festival of India composed by Ravi Shankar. He has composed extensively for films and ballets in India, Canada, Europe and the United States, including Charly, Gandhi and the Apu Trilogy. A winner of three Grammy Awards, Ravi Shankar is an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and a member of the United Nations International Rostrum of composers. In 1986 he was nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha, India’s upper house of Parliament.
Anoushka Shankar made her performing debut at age 13 in New Delhi, India. That same year, Anoushka 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 George Harrison on the 1997 release Chants of India. Shortly thereafter she signed an exclusive contract with Angel/EMI Classics. In the fall of 1998 her first solo recording Anoushka was released to tremendous critical acclaim. Her second album Anourag was released in August 2000. October 2001 saw the release of her third CD Live at Carnegie Hall. She also assisted her father on his Grammy Award winning album Full Circle: Carnegie Hall 2000. In recognition of her artistry and musicianship, the British Parliament presented Anoushka with a House of Commons Shield in 1998, making her the youngest as well as the sole female recipient of this high honor.
“The interplay between both sitars was particularly delightful,” Ernesto Lechner wrote in Variety after a recent Los Angeles concert. “At times, Anoushka would play a simple, repetitive pattern, which was then complemented by Ravi’s labyrinthine improvisations. Then Ravi would perform an intricate melody and prompt Anoushka to mimic him, engaging her in a battle of virtuoso plucking. Father and daughter smiled at each other, clearly relishing each other’s company and engaging in vibrant musical dialogues. In the end, a couple of hours into a Ravi Shankar performance, an out-of-body experience is not out of the question.”
Ravi and Anoushka Shankar are presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures in association with Raagmala and sponsored by the Santa Barbara Independent, KCSB 91 FM, Metropolitan Theatres Corporation, Rugs and More, and Borders. Tickets are $50 and $40 for the general public and $25, but in limited availability, for UCSB students. $100 patron seating includes a private post-performance reception with the artists to benefit UCSB Arts & Lectures.
For tickets or more information,
call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535.
Editor: For photos, please call
Susan Gwynne at (805) 893-2098.