Schimmel Center Presents Indian Classical Music By Virtuoso Violinist And Vocalist L. Shankar

Schimmel Center presents a rare New York appearance by virtuoso violinist and vocalist L. Shankar (aka: L. Shenkar) on Saturday, October 6 at 7:30 p.m. Long acknowledged as one of India's finest violinists in the Carnatic tradition, he is best remembered internationally for his performances in the 1970s with the Indo-jazz fusion group Shakti which he co-founded with John McLaughlin and Zakir Hussain. He is renowned for his deeply soulful performances of Indian classical music, and plays a 10-string double violin that was made especially for him, covering the range of an orchestra's string section from violin to double bass.

The performance, featuring compositions of L. Shankar, improvisations, kritis (light classical songs), ragamalika (garland of ragas), folk songs, and drum duets, unites the Northern (Hindustani) and Southern (Carnatic) traditions of Indian classical music. L. Shankar is joined by tabla player Abhijit Banerjee , representing the Hindustani musical tradition, and percussionist Chris Garcia , who plays a variety of instruments, including the ghatam (clay pot) and kanjira (small frame drum), and represents the Carnatic musical tradition.

Tickets are available at www.schimmelcenter.org, by calling 212-346-1715 or by visiting the box office located at 3 Spruce Street. The Schimmel Center box office is open Tuesdays through Saturday from Noon to 5:00 p.m. and three hours prior to performances.

About the Artists

L. Shankar (aka Shenkar) is a virtuoso violinist and vocalist renowned for his deeply soulful performances of Indian classical music. Since playing his first solo concert at the age of seven, he has gone on to accompany many of South India's leading vocalists and become a major soloist. In the 1970s, with John McLaughlin and Zakir Hussain, he founded the legendary Indo-jazz group Shakti, which toured the world to rapturous reception. In the 1980s, he introduced a new instrument, a 10-string double violin capable of covering the whole range of the orchestra's string section from violin to double bass. With this innovative violin he has continued to expand the international audience for Indian music, often combining North Indian (Hindustani) and South Indian (Carnatic) styles.

Considered among the front-ranking tabla players from India, Abhijit Banerjee is one of the most sought after creative artists in the realm of Indian classical music. With nearly 20 years of professional experience Abhijit has crafted a unique style and creative approach which have brought him accolades and awards from all over the world. Recognizing his talent and natural inclination towards music, his father steered him to tabla at the age of four; Abhijit also studied vocal music and violin. He became a pioneering disciple of the illustrious guru, the late Jnan Prakash Ghosh. Abhijit has accompanied most of the top-ranking luminaries of Indian classical music, including Pt. Ravi Shankar, Pt. Nikhil Banerjee, Begum Parweena Sultana, Pandit Jasraj, Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma, and Dr. Balamurali Krishnan. As a tabla soloist, he has also made his mark in numerous performances and recordings in India and abroad. Apart from his contributions to Indian music, he has worked in a diverse field of crossover music both as a performer and composer with concerts at major festivals in India, the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia, South Africa, Southeast Asia, and Mexico.

Christopher Garcia is a critically acclaimed percussionist, composer, performer, ethnomusicologist, and multi-instrumentalist who has given over 1200 performances in 28 countries on five continents. He is known in different circles for various reasons: as a composer or performer either on drum set, percussion instruments of North and South India, marimba, or instruments of indigenous Mexico/Mesoamerica. He had the privilege of receiving a full scholarship at California Institute of the Arts where he studied tabla with Pandit Taranath Rao, Leonice Shinneman, and Swapan Chaudhuri, and tabla , ghatam and kanjira with John Bergamo. In 1976, his mentor John Bergamo was asked to perform with Shakti in Canada and 40 years later Christopher was honored to be the first Westerner to be invited by L. Shankar (aka Shenkar) to perform Indian classical music with him. His compositions for woodwind quintet, pedal harp, classical guitar, pipa, piano, and percussion of India and Mesoamerica continue to be performed in the Americas and Europe.

Image by Ira Gagon