Anoushka Shankar, photo by Pamela SpringsteinAnoushka Shankar‘s musical explorations reflect her own personal journey, which includes an intercontinental upbringing that stretched from New Delhi, to London, to Southern California. The talented 28-year-old sitarist/composer has carved out a niche in impressively diverse musical settings. Her playing can be heard in the international electronica circuit, the orchestral world of Carnegie Hall, and, of all places, the twisted universe of prog-rockers Jethro Tull, with whom she toured India in late 2008.
“It could have gone so may different ways, but it went in a really good way. Musically, it was an amazing experience” Shankar told DCist in a recent interview, describing the collaboration. But she also called the tour “bittersweet” because much of it took place in the aftermath of the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India.
After a hectic winter, which included performances with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and with her own group, the Anoushka Shankar Project, she is now on a brief tour with her father, legendary sitarist Ravi Shankar, arguably the most celebrated Indian musician in the world. The duo returns to the Kennedy Center on Saturday, after having last visited the District in 2007.
