November 4, 2011. The Ravi Shankar Foundation and the Indian Fine Arts Academy of San Diego presents Ravi Shankar's long time associate, the Melody Queen; Lakshmi Shankar in a rare performance with Gopal Marathe (harmonium), and Arup Chattopadhyay (tabla).
Click on the poster for more details, or go to: www.indianfinearts.org for tickets and information.
October 29, 2011. Local children from the San Diego area came to perform for Ravi Shankar. They are now in the process of learning his compositions.
Click on picture to enlarge.
October 18, 2011. At the 2011 Asian Awards held this year in London, Ravi Shankar received the prestigious Fellowship Award for nine decades of outstanding contribution to the music industry. Commenting on the news of receiving the Fellowship Award Ravi Shankar said: "It is a great honour to receive this fellowship award and to continue working within the long and rich cultural history of India. Of course, the greatest reward and honour is having music be such a powerful force in my life. I thank the Asian Awards for their support and for their work in recognizing the gifts of the global Asian community."
October 10, 2011.
Ravi Shankar completed another incredible set of eight concert in North America and Europe to sold-out audiences and standing ovations. Those fortunate to see and hear the 91 year-old Maestro play, treasured the moments. The September 29, 2011, LA Times Review of the Disney Hall Concert put it this way: "Music may not have, precisely, saints. But no musician alive is a closer fit."
October 9, 2011. Celebrating Ravi Shanka's 10th decade, an Evening with the Maestro is being planned for for October 9, at 6 pm, at the California Center for the Arts, in Escondido, California.
Some of the artists appearing with Ravi Shankar include Tanmoy Bose, tabla; Samir Chatterjee, percussion; Ravichandra Kulur, flute; Parimal Sadaphal, sitar.
April 7, 2011. Happy Birthday Raviji!
Thank you to all the wonderful people who have sent birthday wishes on this, Raviji's 91st birthday.
He appreciates that very much.
February 25, 2011. Celebrate the life and music of George Harrison with a free special streaming event of the entire 'Concert For George' on 25th February. Visit www.GeorgeHarrison.com to learn more.
February 22, 2011. Ravi Shankar's younger daughter Anoushka
Shankar gave birth to a healthy boy, Zubin Shankar Wright. Both, the father and the mother are doing well.
January 22, 2011. San Diego. Between April 13-17, the Ravi Shankar Foundation in association withThe Indian Fine Arts Academy will present a series of concerts in celebration of Ravi Shankar's 91st birthday. Many great artists will appear, and on April 16 there will be special musical tribute by Shankar Mahadevan and others. Click on photo for more info. Check here for a listing all performances.
January 10, 2011. Boston. Ravi Shankar joined a select group of performing and recording artists, educators, and contributors to today's professional music, when he received a honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music.
November 1, 2010. New York. Asia Society presented Indian sitar maestro Ravi Shankar with a Cultural Legacy Award tonight, recognizing a relationship that stretches back more than 50 years to when the Society sponsored Shankar's first U.S. concert appearances. More...
October 19, 2010. Los Angeles. Dark Horse Records announced a limited edition deluxe box set entitled RAVI SHANKAR GEORGE HARRISON COLLABORATIONS. The release honors the sitar master’s 90th birthday. Collaborations is a 3 CD and 1 DVD uniquely numbered limited edition box set. All compositions were composed by Ravi Shankar and produced by George Harrison over a period of 20 years.
The DVD is a rare concert performance of Ravi Shankar’s Music Festival From India recorded at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 1974. The albums include the acclaimed "Chants Of India" (1997), "The Ravi Shankar Music Festival From India" (studio version 1976) and "Shankar Family & Friends" (1974). The 56-page book includes a foreword by Philip Glass, a history of George and Ravi “in their own words” and rare photographs from both family archives. Amazon...
July 1, 2010. Ravi Shankar debuts his most ambitious East-West work of fusion, his first-ever symphony conceived entirely for a Western symphony orchestra. The work was performed by thn. e London Philharmonic and his daughter Anoushka Shankar at the Royal Albert Hall, in LondoThe symphony was written in Indian notation in 2010, and has been interpreted by his student and conductor, David Murphy.
April 7, 2010. On this day, Ravi Shankar celebrated his 90th birthday. Happy Birthday Raviji!!!
In recognition of Ravi Shankar's birthday, and the official launch date of his personal record label, East Meets West Music, the Chicago Cultural Center hosts an evening of film and music dedicated to the legendary Indian sitar master.
This special event is supported by the Ravi Shankar Institute for Music and Performing Arts (RIMPA) and the Shankar family. The evening will begin with the 2002 documentary screening of, Ravi Shankar: Between Two Worlds, in the Claudia Cassidy Theater at 6 pm. The film will be followed by an opportunity to buy the new "The Nine Decades Volume 1 (1967 - 1968)" release by Ravi Shankar on his East Meets West Music label, along with limited edition screen print posters of the special event.
Following the activities in the Claudia Cassidy Theater, a concert in honor of Shankar will take place in Preston Bradley Hall starting at 8 pm, featuring three rising talents of Indian Classical music, Purbayan Chatterjee on sitar, Rakesh Chaurasia on flute, and Yogesh Samsi on tabla. More...
March 19, 2010. Ravi Shankar is being awarded his 17th doctorate, (Doctor of Laws) as the University of Melbourne recognises Ravi Shankar's outstanding commitment to music and humanity. The degree will be conferred by University of Melbourne Chancellor and Chairman of the Australia India Institute, the Honourable Alex Chernov, AO QC.
In March, Ravi Shankar with his daughter Anoushka Shankar are playing a series of sold out concerts throughout Australia.
February 25, 26, 27, 28, 2010. The amazing annual Festival of Music and Dance at the Ravi Shankar Center in Delhi (at 6pm), dedicated to the late George Harrison on his 67th birthday. Notable participating artists include Rajendra Prasanna (Shahnai), Jazmin (Seth Blumberg, Armando Cepeda, Jesse Charnow, Leo Dembecki, Bodhisattva Ghosh, Kenji Otta), Divya Shiva Sundar (Bharatanatyam), Kushal Das (Sitar), Shalini Patnaik (Odissi), Sarathi Chatterjee (Vocal), Parimal Sadaphal (Shahnai), Saswati Sen (Kathak), also featuring Tanmoy Bose, Prasun Chatterjee, and many, many others.
January 28, 2010. The Ravi Shankar Foundation proudly announces the launch of East Meets West Music. EMWMusic is a listener's passport to the sitar master's personal archive of thousands of hours of live performance audio, film footage, interviews, and studio masters. By making personally selected source material from this collection available, Ravi Shankar hopes to bridge any divide between his recorded music and his audience. We are thrilled to begin this journey with our long time supporters and new fans alike.
December 22, 2009. Pandit Ravi Shankar was conferred the Lifetime award by CNN-IBN in Delhi. The announced was made at a glittering ceremony where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh bestowed the honour for "his truly global musical spirit and unparallel achievements that have risen above cultural and national barriers." The award ceremony was telecast on CNN-IBN on December 25th.
November 20, 2009. Ravi Shankar, was awarded the Honorary Fellowship of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (Trinity Laban). The renowned musician was honoured for his contribution to the performance and promotion of Indian Music both nationally and internationally, his patronage of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Centre (Bhavan), and his support of the introduction of collaborative programmes and projects at Trinity Laban (which comprises Trinity College of Music and contemporary dance centre Laban). More....
October 10, 2009. Ravi Shankar has been honored with the first-ever George Harrison Humanitarian Award. The award was presented by the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and The George Harrison Fund for UNICEF following Shankar's concert at Carnegie Hall in New York. Shankar was recognized for his unprecedented efforts in saving the lives of children, and his involvement with the Concert for Bangladesh - organized by George Harrison and inspired by Ravi Shankar, the Concert marked the first time rock musicians collaborated for a common humanitarian cause. More...
September, 2009. Ravi Shankar prepares for a busy Fall tour of North America, and performs at Carnegie Hall in New York on October 10.
September 20, 2009. Ravi Shankar curated the memorrable INDIA CALLING! performance at the Hollywood Bowl. The performance featured Anoushka Shankar conducting the Ravi Shankar Center Ensamble and included progressive music from the The Anoushka Shankar Project, and other top Indian artists and musicians; Malkit Singh, Kailash Kher, The Rhythm of Rajasthan Ensemble, and others. LA Times Review.
February 21- 24, 2009. The Ravi Shankar Center in New Delhi, presents another joyous Festival of Indian Classical Music and Dance, dedicated to the late George Harrison on his 66th birthday. Notable participating artists include Krishna Mohan Bhatt (sitar), Arun Mohany (odissi), Jayateerth Mevundi (vocal), Kartik Seshadri (sitar), Divia Devaguptapu (bharatnatyam), Lalgudi G. J. R. Krishanan (violin), Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi (violin), Manjiri Asanare-Kelkar (vocal), Uma Sharma (kathak).
January
19, 2009. Prior
to the premiere of Ravi Shankar’s Third Concerto at the Carnegie Hall
by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra partnering with Paybill
Arts, will host "Orpheus
Raga" a series of 12
(3-5 min each) web broadcasts documenting the unique rehearsal process with
Anoushka Shankar.
The webisodes start on January 21,
at 9:00 am, at www.playbillarts.com.
The site will also host selections from the EMI Classics library featuring
Orpheus and Ravi Shankar. The series will culminate with the Jan.
31 premiere at the Stern Auditorium. Registration
for viewing the webisodes is free.
Ten
registrants will be randomly selected to win a pair of free tickets
to the concert.
December,
2008.
Anoushka Shankar completed her tour of 5 Indian cities with the Jethro Tull
group. Part 1 of each concert was Anoushka Shankar and her troupe, Part
2 was classic Tull, and Part 3 was a fusion with Tull and Anoushka. Every
concert was SOLD OUT.
Times of India: "Anoushka was remarkable, exceeding everybody’s
expectations, proving that she really is worthy of carrying her father’s
mantle. "
August,
2008: Ravi Shankar has just finished writing his third
Concerto for the Orpheus Orchestra and Anoushka Shankar.
With Him is the well known Welsh conductor David Murphy who is transcribing
it. The work will be premiered in the US in January 2009, with the final
concert peformed on the 31st of January at The Carnegie Hall in New York
City.
July,
2008: Ravi Shankar's book "My
Music, My Life" has been reprinted and updated with
stunning new photographs and a new final chapter detailing Ravi Shankar’s
hope for the preservation of Indian classical music. The book profiles an
extraordinary man. In his own words, Shankar describes his transformation
from a young traveling dancer to a Grammy Award-winning, internationally
known musician. An autobiography, a history of Indian classical music, and
a manual on how to play the sitar, this book is about music as a both a
lifestyle and an art. It embodies Ravi Shankar’s unique approach to
his craft. Its available from Amazon
and other book dealers.
February
23, 24, 25, and 26, 2008:
The
Ravi Shankar Centre & United Nations World Food Programme presented
An Indian Classical Music and Dance Festival
dedicated to the late George Harrison on
his 65th Birth Anniversary. Many well known artists appeared including Rajan
Sajan Misra, Barun Kumar Pal, M. Venkatesh Kumar, Kartik Seshadri, Ajay
Prasanna, Gayatri Ranjani, Yamini Reddy, Satish Vyas, and many others.
August
28, 2007:
Ravi Shankar's younger daughter Anoushka
Shankar along with co-producer Karsh Kale, have produced a
new album, "Breathing Underwater." Featuring
guest artists that include her father Ravi Shankar, Sting, Norah Jones,
Midival Punditz, and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, the innovative album expands the
cultural and traditional borders of music. Previews...
July
30, 2007.
Ravi Shankar composed a brand new work to be performed by Anoushka Shankar
and one of the world's leading violinists, Joshua Bell, at this year's Verbier
Festival in the heart of the Swiss Alps. The Verbier Festival, founded in
1994, attracts international soloists of the highest level.
April
13, 2007.
Sukanya Shankar: "Yesterday Raviji performed
at Notre Dame, Indiana and it truly was like a miracle happening in front
of my eyes. We never thought he would be fit enough to play the Sitar again
after his recent illness. He was unbelievable. People just gasped and he
had a standing ovation before and after the show. God has been so kind.
Anoushka performed the first half with Ravichandra Kulur on Flute and Tanmoy
Bose on Tabla. After a short intermission Raviji performed for 1 hour and
20 minutes.It was an amazing show."
March
12 , 2007:
CNN carries a story on the Ravi Shankar Center in Delhi; "India's
Royal Musical Family Gives Back." Watch the audio-video slide
show at: http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/eyeonindia/
February
14 , 2007: Ravi Shankar's elder daughter
Norah Jones
released her third and most personal album, "Not too
Late" on the 30th of January, 2007. All the 13 songs
were either written or co-written by Norah herself and produced by
Lee Alexander.
"From the first note, Norah's voice is like liquid gold and she
touches your heart and soul instantly. I am very proud of her"
- Ravi Shankar.
February
5, 2007:
Ravi Shankar wishes to thank everybody for their warm wishes of a speedy
recovery. Much of it can be traced to the love of Suki, the Master's maltipoo
and his life saver.
December,
2006:A bust of Ravi Shankar was unveiled
by His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent at the Bharatiya
Vidya Bhavan in London. The scuplture was specially commissioned by
the Bhavan to celebrate their highly valued and long standing association
with one of the world's greatest musicians. The creator of the bust was
the young Italian sculptor, Davide Losi.
Tour
Dates:
In September 2006, Ravi Shankar sustained an injury to his shoulder which
to his great regret, neccessitated cancellation of the Fall 2006 tour. Please
keep checking the website for future concert dates. Thank you.
October
4, 2006: From
the Sitar to the Guitar:
A
new DVD/CD presented by world music pioneers Yehudi Menuhin and Ravi Shankar,
tells a story which started nearly a thousand years ago in Rajasthan, India,
and culminates in the Spanish flamenco. Filmed on November 24 and 25, 1995,
at the Cirque Royal in Brussels, the DVD features extraordinary and previously
unreleased performances by Ravi Shankar, Blanca del Rey, Langas and Manghaniyars
of Rajasthan, Ludovit Kovác, Trio Loyko (featuring violinists Oleg
Ponomarev and Sergei Erdenko) and Abdelli.
The DVD+CD was launched at the Ravi Shankar Center in New Delhi with proceeds
going to the International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation and the Ravi Shankar
Foundation. Press Release.
May
15, 2006: Ravi Shankar was presented with
the Founding Ambassador For Global Amity Award on
behalf of San Diego State University at the Gurukulam Benefit Concert. The
citation reads: "In recognition of a lifetime of profound and enduring
achievement that richly resonates within our world's cultural heritage and
instills greater harmony and goodwill among all people shaping our global
future."
November
10, 2005: The amazing, 1971 George
Harrison and friends "Concert
for Bangladesh," film and soundtrack have been released on DVD
and CD. The
introduction is by Ravi Shankar.
August
2, 2005: Ravi Shankar and Anoushka
performed at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. This performance
marked a special landmark event for two reasons. This is the first time
that either of them have appeared at the Proms and it is the first time
ever that the BBC Proms have given any music other than Western classical
music a prime time slot, in honour of Ravi Shankar's 85th Birthday Tour.
In
the first half, Anoushka performed her father's Sitar Concerto No. 1 with
the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jurjen Hempel. In the second half
Ravi and Anoushka played traditional Indian ragas together.
July
10, 2005: Ravi Shankar's and Anoushka Shankar's sitars
were broken by Air France during transit in Paris even though they were
marked fragile and special handling was requested. Two sitars from India
were brought just in time for the concert in Arle's. The same week, one
of Ravi's students sitar and a cello were also broken by Air France in
transit via Paris.
June
18, 2005:
The 10 O'Clock BBC News addressed Raviji's 85th birthday
tour and the fact that he is appearing in the Proms for the first time.
A 5 minute piece followed with interviews from Raviji and Anoushka as
well as an excerpt from the Manchester concert.
November
30, 2004:
Ravi and Anoushka Shankar are both contributors to Concert
for George, a limited edition book and a lasting tribute
to the life of George Harrison. Produced in co-operation with Olivia Harrison.
On
July 30, 2004,
Ravi Shankar performed a new composition as part of the London
Symphony Orchestra's centenary celebrations in Guildhall, London.
Ravi
Shankar gets the prestigious ISPA Award
Ravi
Shankar is the 2003 recipient of the ISPA Distinguished Artist Award.
The award is given to performing artists who have made an outstanding
contribution of talent, artistry, dedication and service to the world
for performing arts. Past recipients of the ISPA Distinguished Artist
Award have included Yehudi Menuhin, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Simon Rattle,
Martha Graham, Cameron Mackintosh and Kurt Masur. The award was presented
to Ravi Shankar by Minister of State for the Arts, Estelle Morris, at
the ISPA conference in London.
Nov. 2003, Rave
Magazine cover story: Pandit Ravi Shankar.
A DVD on Ravi Shankar released Filmed over a period of two years, the
documentary by Mark Kidel covers seven decades of innovative musicianship
from the man ex-Beatle George Harrison described as the Godfather of World Music. The portrait is completed by a newly-recorded
recital in which Ravi Shankar is joined by his daughter Anoushka. More information
and previews can be found at Opus
Arte.
Ravi
Shankar's album 'Full
Circle/ Live at Carnegie Hall 2000'
takes first place in the 5th Annual NAV Music Awards in the Traditional
World category. The
same CD won a Grammy in 2002 in the World Music category. (June, 2002)
A
third Grammy (2002) for Ravi Shankar and
his latest album, 'Full Circle/Live at Carnegie Hall 2000.' Best album in
World Music category.
Ravi
Shankar is awarded an honourary knighthood by the Queen of England.
