Anoushka Shankar

Anoushka Shankar

Anoushka Shankar is a sitar player and composer working in Indian classical music. Born in London in 1981, she is the daughter of Ravi Shankar, the Indian sitar player, and Sukanya Shankar. Through her father, she is the half-sister of Grammy Award winner Norah Jones.

Early life and training

Shankar begins learning sitar under her father’s guidance at the age of eight or nine. From the age of seven, she lives in Encinitas, California, after her parents reunite, and she later graduates from the local public high school. As a teenager, she gives several charity performances.

Career

She gives her first public performance at the age of thirteen and goes on to establish herself as a sitar performer with a focus on both recital work and her own classical Indian compositions. Her work is associated with Indian classical music and instrumental performance.

Recognition

Shankar’s album Rise receives a Grammy nomination in the Best Contemporary World Music category, which is her second Grammy nomination. She also becomes the first Indian woman to perform at the Grammy Awards, appearing during the pre-telecast ceremony of the forty-eighth awards.