Legendary Sitarist Ravi Shankar and Anoushka Shankar Share the Stage for an Evening of Indian Classical Music at the Kimmel Center,
September 29, 2008
"It was quite a sight, witnessing the two onstage, a spirited conversation between father and daughter."
Legendary sitarist-composer Ravi Shankar and his prodigiously talented daughter Anoushka Shankar share the stage for a special evening of Indian Classical Music in Verizon Hall on Sunday, October 19, 2008 at 7:30pm. Named the "Godfather of World Music" by longtime friend George Harrison, Ravi Shankar is India’s most esteemed musical ambassador. A prolific composer, he has disseminated India’s rich musical traditions in the West through collaborations with artists as diverse as the Beatles, the New York Philharmonic, composer Philip Glass and violinist Yehudi Menuhin. Anoushka Shankar, trained by her father and an innovative musician in her own right, has elevated sitar music to new levels with jazz, electronica and contemporary world music influences. Her most recent release is Breathing Under Water (2007).
"Ms. Shankar, sounding utterly different from her father, improvised against the tablas, using aggressive geometric ideas, ramming home her improvisations; the crowd cheered her loudly, and Mr. Shankar, beaming, was as proud as Ms. Coltrane had been of her son."
This concert is the third performance in the World & Pop Series scheduled for the Kimmel Center Presents 2008-09 season. The next concert in the series will be Chris Thile and Edgar Meyer on Wednesday, October 22, 2008 at 7:30pm.
Tickets for Ravi Shankar and Anoushka Shankar are $34, $46, $52 and $65 and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center box office open daily from 10am to 6pm and later on performance evenings. (Additional fees may apply.) For group sales call 215-790-5883.
A limited number of $10 tickets are available for every Kimmel Center Presents performance at the Kimmel Center. Tickets go on sale the day of the event and can be purchased at the Kimmel Center box office beginning 2.5 hours prior to evening curtain time and 11:30am for matinees. Limit one ticket per person.
Ravi Shankar began his musical studies under the guidance of illustrious guru "Baba" Ustad Allaudin Khan, and has since embarked on one of the most extraordinary international careers in the history of contemporary music. A prolific composer as well as a performer and conductor, Shankar has written two concertos for sitar and orchestra, chamber works for sitar and other instruments, and numerous compositions for film and ballet. His collaborations with composer Philip Glass (Passages), violinist Yehudi Menuhin, flute virtuoso Jean-Pierre Rampal, film maker Satyajit Ray and the Beatles have added to his international reputation. His extensive discography of more than 60 albums includes recent releases Flowers of India (2007) and More Flowers of India (2008) with Ali Akbar Khan.
Ravi Shankar’s catalog of prestigious awards and honors includes the Bharat Ratna award, India's highest civilian honor, which was awarded to Shankar in 1999; France’s highest civilian award, the "Commandeur de la Légion d’Honneur" in 2000; and the "Honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire" in 2001. In February 2008, the Ravi Shankar Centre, established in 2001 as a music education center and an archive of Shankar’s work, along with the United Nations World Food Program, presented a four-day Indian Classical Music and Dance Festival dedicated to the late George Harrison on his 65th birthday, with appearances by many prominent Indian artists.
"[Anoushka] Shankar displayed not only an impressive technical command, but also a flair for making the sitar speak a number of musical tongues."
The modern face of Indian Classical Music, Anoushka Shankar recently appeared on the cover of the first Indian edition of Rolling Stone magazine. Shankar has shared the stage with many of the world’s top celebrities, including Sting, Madonna, Nina Simone, Angelique Kidjo, Herbie Hancock, Elton John, Peter Gabriel and James Taylor. In 2002, she performed at the historic "Concert for George," a tribute to the late George Harrison in London. Honorable distinctions include being voted one of four Women of the Year in India in 2003 by the Indian Television Academy and the Asmi and India Times, and being chosen as one of 20 Asian Heroes in the Asian edition of TIME magazine in 2004.
Anoushka Shankar began studying sitar under her father’s tutelage at the age of nine, and made her recording debut at 13. Her first solo recording, Anoushka (1998), was released to tremendous critical acclaim, followed by Anourag (2000) which propelled her into the international spotlight with her first Grammy® nomination. The Grammy® nominated album Rise (2005), Shankar’s most ambitious album, utilized acoustic and electric instrumentation in a radical departure from her previous work. Her most recent release, Breathing Under Water (2007), with co-producer Karsh Kale, features special guests, including Sting and Shankar’s half sister Norah Jones.
Kimmel Center Presents’ 2008/2009 Season is sponsored by Citi. The Great Orchestra Series is supported by ARCWheeler. Additional support is provided by the University of Pennsylvania Health System, American Express, and Interpark. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents. In-kind support is generously provided by Deloitte. NBC-10 is a media partner for Kimmel Center Presents.
Free in the Plaza programming and subsidized tickets offered to the community and social service groups for $10 are made possible through the Wachovia Gateway to the Arts Community Access Program, supported by a generous grant from the Wachovia Foundation.
The Kimmel Center is the recipient of partnership funding through the nationally recognized PNC "Grow Up Great" initiative, a ten-year, $100 million investment in preparing children for success in school and life. Funding gives support to the Kimmel Center’s early childhood program "Bop and Swing," an arts program for children 1-5 years old, designed to promote an appreciation for American culture.
KIMMEL CENTER PRESENTS SPONSORED BY CITI
Sunday, October 19, 2008 | 7:30pm
Verizon Hall
World & Pop Series
Ravi Shankar, sitar
Anoushka Shankar, sitar
Tanmoy Bose, tabla
Kenji Ota, tanpura
FREE AT THE KIMMEL:
Sunday, October 19, 2008 | 6pm
Commonwealth Plaza Stage | Free at the Kimmel
Usiloquy Dance Designs
Usiloquy Dance Designs is a Philadelphia-based contemporary Bharatanatyam Company that weaves an ancient classical Indian dance form with elements of different genres from around the world, creating a fresh, unique style of expressive dance. This free performance will take place on Commonwealth Plaza stage prior to the ticketed performance by Ravi Shankar and Anoushka Shankar in Verizon Hall.
Sunday, October 19, 2008 | 9:30pm
Commonwealth Plaza Stage | Free at the Kimmel
Bhangra Party!
DJ Rahsaan of Afrotaino Soundsystem & DJ Mandip of Dutty Chutney will spin a tapestry of luscious grooves and bhangralicious beats in Commonwealth Plaza, following the ticketed performance by Ravi Shankar and Anoushka Shankar in Verizon Hall.
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