Anoushka Shankar

Anoushka Shankar is a British-American sitarist and composer known for her contributions to Indian classical music and global music culture. Shankar studied exclusively under her father and guru, Ravi Shankar, and made her professional debut as a classical sitarist at age 13. Early in her career, she accompanied her father in concerts and performed alongside tabla artist Zakir Hussain in her debut solo live performance in New Delhi. She learned the Indian classical tradition by ear, as well as the improvisational techniques for which her father was recognized.

By age 20, Shankar had released three classical recordings for EMI/Angel and received her first Grammy Award nomination, becoming the first Indian female and youngest nominee in the World Music category. Her self-produced album "Rise" earned her a second Grammy Award nomination, and she became the first Indian artist to perform at the Grammy Awards. Shankar has received 14 Grammy Award nominations and was the first musician of Indian origin to perform live and serve as a presenter at the ceremony. She was also the youngest and first female recipient of a British House of Commons Shield, an Ivor Novello Award nominee for her work on the "A Suitable Boy" soundtrack, an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music, one of the first five female composers added to the UK A-level music syllabus, and the recipient of an Honorary Degree in Music from Oxford University.

Shankar's collaboration with Deutsche Grammophon led to a series of albums exploring the intersections of Indian classical music with other genres. "Traveller" examines the relationship between Indian classical music and Spanish flamenco, "Traces of You" features Norah Jones on vocals, and "Home" is a purely Indian classical album. "Land of Gold" addresses the humanitarian crisis faced by displaced people. Shankar has collaborated with artists such as Herbie Hancock, Patti Smith, Sting, Zubin Mehta, Joshua Bell, Arooj Aftab, Jacob Collier, Nils Frahm, M.I.A., and Norah Jones.

Shankar began composing for film with the British Film Institute's restoration of "Shiraz" and later co-composed the score for Mira Nair's "A Suitable Boy," which was nominated for Best Television Soundtrack at the Ivor Novello Awards. She authored the biographical work "Bapi: The Love of My Life" and has contributed columns to First City magazine and Hindustan Times. In addition to her music career, Shankar is an activist, working with organizations such as the UNHCR and Choose Love, and serves as an Ambassador for the latter. She has advocated for women's rights and survivors of abuse, supporting campaigns such as One Billion Rising and serving as the inaugural President of the F-List, a UK database promoting gender equality in music.

Shankar released "Chapter III: We Return to Light," the final part of a trilogy of mini-albums, and served as Guest Director of Brighton Festival. She became the inaugural Visiting Professor of Music Business at the University of Oxford's Faculty of Music. Her touring career spans jazz cafes, symphony halls, and festival stages, reflecting her versatility across classical Indian music, electronic music, film scoring, activism, and academia.