Anoushka Shankar

To read a list of Anoushka Shankar’s accomplishments is to read many life stories in one: masterful sitarist; prolific recording artist with thirteen solo albums to her name; film composer; impassioned activist. Anoushka was the youngest and first female recipient of a British House of Commons Shield at the age of eighteen; the first Indian woman to perform live or serve as presenter at the Grammy® Awards with an incredible eleven nominations under her belt, and the first Indian woman to be nominated; an Ivor Novello-nominee for her A Suitable Boy soundtrack; an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music; one of the first five female composers to have been added onto the UK A-level music syllabus; and most recently in June 2024, the recipient of an Honorary Degree in Music from Oxford University.

Anoushka began studying the sitar and Indian classical music from the age of nine under the intensive tutelage of her father, Pandit Ravi Shankar, learning by ear not only the musical tradition that has been passed on through generations but also the improvisatory freedom for which her father was so renowned. A love of this connection across borders and timelines has drawn her to collaborate with diverse artists including Herbie Hancock, Patti Smith, Sting, Jacob Collier, Joshua Bell, Arooj Aftab, Nils Frahm, M.I.A, Rodrigo y Gabriela, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and her half-sister Norah Jones. Her touring career has taken her from legendary jazz cafes to iconic symphony halls and festival stages in front of 40,000 people, her versatility transforming each of these locations into an intimate experience for all listening. That versatility comes out of years spent building the confidence to be artistically truthful and to connect to her audience from the heart.

Celebrating 30 years of stage performance in 2025 with the release of the third chapter in her current trilogy of mini-albums and the Creative Directorship of Brighton Festival, she is a singular, genre-defying artist known for breaking new ground across realms. From global and electronic music to jazz and neo-classical, Anoushka’s commitment to wild experimentation and fresh collaboration knows no bounds.