Shashank (musician)
Encyclopedia
Shashank Subramanyam is a classical flautist
of India
. He was a child prodigy and started performing from his age of seven. Shashank has performed in the top slot / circuit from his age of 11.
in the Hassan district
of Karnataka
, India
to Hemalatha and Subramnayam. He was trained by his father and by the singers R.K. Srikantan, Palghat K.V. Narayanaswami, Sandyavandanam Srinivasa Rao and Pandit Jasraj
.
Shashank is married to Shirisha, a Bharatanatyam dancer. Shashank and Shirisha have a daughter "Swara" and live in Chennai, India.
, Ustad Shahid Parvez, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Ustad Sultan Khan
, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Ronu Mazumdar, Ustad Shujaat Khan
Shashank performs in a wide range of concert environments from the pure Indian classical, Symphonies, Jazz and cross over projects. He has lead many ensembles and also has been a guest artist on many famed bands.
classical but incorporates patterns of improvisation from Hindustani music and uses a range of flutes to cover octave
s that are not supported by the traditional Carnatic flute. Shashank is known for his intricate and intense alapana
s (Improvisations), melodious keerthana ( composition) renderings and pulsating kalpanaswaram
(Faster and rhythmic improvisations). His concerts generally include a Ragam Tanam Pallavi as a central piece, normally composed by Shashank himself. Shashank has used the technique of multi flute transposed fingering technique and dual octave production.
The BBC World TV
did a documentary
on Shashank titled Destination Music, recently.
and Doordarshan
(TV) in 1993.
The National Integration Award ( Spirit of Unity series) - 1991.
Rotary award of excellence 1995.
Empaneled artist of the ICCR
under Outstanding and senior category since 1995.
A recipient of the Kalaimamani from the Tamil Nadu Government in the year 2000.
Shashank is one of the youngest recipients of the A Top ranking in the All India Radio
and Doordarshan
(TV).
Kuzhal Arasar by Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Chicago.
Grammy Nomination for the album Floating Point with John McLaughlin - 2009
-Bangalore, India Music Group - Bombay, The Mysore Palace Ramakrishna Mission-Calcutta, Dover Lane Festival Calcutta, ITC SRA Festival-Delhi, Krishna Gana Sabha-Chennai, The Smithsonian, Kennedy Center and National Academy of Sciences in Washington D.C., J. Paul Getty Hall -Hollywood, Cerritos Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles
, Eastman School of Music
- Rochester
, World Music Institute - New York
, Asian Art Museum
- San Francisco, Amadeus Mozart Conservatory-Salzburg, Austria, UC Los Angeles, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, San Diego State University, UC Irvine, Arizona State University - Tempe, University of Arizona-Tucson, University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas at Arlington, Texas Tech-Lubbock, University of North Texas-Denton, University of Chicago, University of West Virginia, University of Illinois - Urbana, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Maryland-College Park, University of Florida-Jacksonville, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Duke University- Durham, North Eastern University - Chicago, North Western University- Evanston, Royal College of Music - London, Leicester University - UK, University of Washington - Seattle, University of Washington - Pullman, University of Oregon - Eugene, Oregon State University - Corvallis, University of Oklahoma-Norman, Carniegi Melon University-Pittsburgh, Harvard and MIT at Boston, Wesleyan University- Connecticut, Yale University, Stanford University, University of Cincinnati, Rice University-Houston, Florida State University - Tampa, Drexel University, Drake University-Des Moines, Iowa State University-Ames, Colgate University, University of Pennsylvania- Philadelphia, Rutgers University-NJ, Texas A&M College Station, St. Thomas University-Houston, University of Louisiana-New Orleans, University of Alabama, Cornell University, Amherst College, Emory University - Atlanta, Georgia Tech, University of Tenn-Knoxville, Berkeley College of Music-Boston, SUNY Buffalo, Concordia University-Montreal, University of Calgary, Guilford College, Arizona State University-Flagstaff, Lausanne Conservatory-Switzerland, Xebec Hall and Across Fukuoka in Kobe
and Fukuoka
, Japan, Women's University- Osaka, Japan, Tsuyama Jazz Festival-Japan, Hong Kong Museum of Art
- Hong Kong, World Flute Conference - Nashville
, Theater De- La-Ville, UNESCO & Musee Guimet in Paris -France, Tropical Institute - Amsterdam, Music Gebou-Amsterdam, Rasa house of World Culture-Antwerp-Belgium, University of NSW, Sydney, Mcquarie University-Sydney, Monash University-Melbourne, University of Darwin, SUNY-Long Island, Judith Wright Center- Brisbane, Port Fairy Folk Festival-Australia, Darwin Entertainment Center-Darwin, University of Auckland, New Zealand, Richard Strauss Conservatory-Munich, WDR-Cologne, Bayriche Radio - Munich and Nurnberg, Rytmisk Conservatory-Copenhagen, Opera House-Copenhagen, University of Uppsala-Sweden, The Club in Oslo-Norway, International Book Fair-Torino-Italy, World Sacred Music Festivals- France, Germany and Belgium, The Lowry in Manchester-UK, The Sage in Gateshead - UK, Modigliani Hall -Padova-Italy, Museum Rietberg -Zurich
, The Munchen Residency in Munich-Germany, SLF Auditorium, Singapore, Singapore Radio, Esplanade Theater-Singapore, Putra World Trade Center - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, The Adelaide Festival- Australia, Improvisation Festival in Lausanne
- Switzerland, Seoul Plaza
in Seoul - Korea, Les Oriental Festival -France, Fesitval of Nantes-France, Abbaye Royal Du Fontevraud in Samur -France, Royal Society Flute Conference in Manchester-UK, Oriental Festival in Evora, Portugal, The Meyrin Forum in Geneva, Trondheim Festival, Norway and a host of other institutions across the world.
Flautist
A flautist or flutist is a musician who plays an instrument in the flute family. See List of flautists.The choice of "flautist" versus "flutist" is the source of dispute among players of the instrument...
of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He was a child prodigy and started performing from his age of seven. Shashank has performed in the top slot / circuit from his age of 11.
Early life
Shashank Subramanyam, belonging to the Iyer community from Senkottah (Tamil Nadu) known as Sankethis, was born in RudrapatnaRudrapatna
Rudrapatna is a small village on the banks of the Kaveri river in Arkalgud taluk of Hassan district in the Indian State of Karnataka.The village is known for its rich musical heritage. The village was an abode of Veda, Nada, and Taranga, according to the renowned Carnatic vocalist, R K Padmanabha...
in the Hassan district
Hassan district
Hassan is a district in Karnataka state, India. The district headquarters are Hassan.Hassan district was the seat of the Hoysala Empire which at its peak ruled large parts of south India from Belur as its early capital and Halebidu as its later capital during the period 1000 - 1334 CE...
of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to Hemalatha and Subramnayam. He was trained by his father and by the singers R.K. Srikantan, Palghat K.V. Narayanaswami, Sandyavandanam Srinivasa Rao and Pandit Jasraj
Pandit Jasraj
Pandit Jasraj is an Indian classical vocalist. He is the foremost exponent of the Mewati Gharana of Hindustani classical music.-Early life:Jasraj was born in Hisar, Haryana in an orthodox brahmin family to Pandit Motiramji, a classical exponent. His family is well known for singing in the Mewati...
.
Shashank is married to Shirisha, a Bharatanatyam dancer. Shashank and Shirisha have a daughter "Swara" and live in Chennai, India.
Performing career
While, Shashank performed for the general public in 1985 for the first time at the age of 7, his public life / full time career as a musician began with a performance in Adelaide, Australia in 1990 followed by his major performance at Shastri hall in Dec of 1990. His career-defining moment came when the Music Academy invited Shashank, just 12 years old, to perform the top most slot "SADAS" concert at The Music Academy, Chennai January 1, 1991 - a record that is yet to be broken. Shashank has been a senior flautist in the field of Carnatic Music and has collaborated with many musicians from India and around the world including John McLaughlinJohn McLaughlin (musician)
John McLaughlin , also known as Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, is an English guitarist, bandleader and composer...
, Ustad Shahid Parvez, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Ustad Sultan Khan
Ustad Sultan Khan
Ustad Sultan Khan was an Indian sarangi player and singer who performed Hindustani classical music. He was one of the members of the Indian fusion group Tabla Beat Science, with Zakir Hussain and Bill Laswell...
, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Ronu Mazumdar, Ustad Shujaat Khan
Shashank performs in a wide range of concert environments from the pure Indian classical, Symphonies, Jazz and cross over projects. He has lead many ensembles and also has been a guest artist on many famed bands.
Style
Shashank’s main style is CarnaticCarnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
classical but incorporates patterns of improvisation from Hindustani music and uses a range of flutes to cover octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
s that are not supported by the traditional Carnatic flute. Shashank is known for his intricate and intense alapana
Alapana
Alapana is a form of melodic improvisation that introduces and develops a raga in Indian classical music. As a term that is Sanskrit in language, alapana means "to speak, address, discourse, communicate". The flavor of the raga is outlined in the alapana by rendering the raga's permitted notes in...
s (Improvisations), melodious keerthana ( composition) renderings and pulsating kalpanaswaram
Kalpanaswaram
In classical music of south India Kalpanaswaram , is raga improvisation within a specific tala in which the musician improvises in the Indian music solfege after completing a composition.The kalpanaswaram start may start at any place in the tala, but the artist must end their...
(Faster and rhythmic improvisations). His concerts generally include a Ragam Tanam Pallavi as a central piece, normally composed by Shashank himself. Shashank has used the technique of multi flute transposed fingering technique and dual octave production.
The BBC World TV
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
did a documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
on Shashank titled Destination Music, recently.
Awards and recognition
Shashank was awarded a direct A" Grade ranking in the All India RadioAll India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
and Doordarshan
DoorDarshan
Doordarshan is an Indian public service broadcaster, a division of Prasar Bharati. It is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in India in terms of the infrastructure of studios and transmitters. Recently, it has also started Digital Terrestrial Transmitters. On September 15, 2009,...
(TV) in 1993.
The National Integration Award ( Spirit of Unity series) - 1991.
Rotary award of excellence 1995.
Empaneled artist of the ICCR
Iccr
ICCR stands for:* Indian Council for Cultural Relations* The Interdisciplinary Centre for Comparative Research in the Social Sciences* Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility* International Centre for Classroom Research...
under Outstanding and senior category since 1995.
A recipient of the Kalaimamani from the Tamil Nadu Government in the year 2000.
Shashank is one of the youngest recipients of the A Top ranking in the All India Radio
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
and Doordarshan
DoorDarshan
Doordarshan is an Indian public service broadcaster, a division of Prasar Bharati. It is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in India in terms of the infrastructure of studios and transmitters. Recently, it has also started Digital Terrestrial Transmitters. On September 15, 2009,...
(TV).
Kuzhal Arasar by Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Chicago.
Grammy Nomination for the album Floating Point with John McLaughlin - 2009
Major Performances
Rashtrapathi Bhavan (The President's Palace at New Delhi), Sawai Gandharva Festival-Pune, ganga Mahotsav-Haridwar, Saptak_Ahmedabad, Navi Mumbai Sageet Utsav, NCPA - Mumbai, Vishnu Digambar Festival-Delhi, Ravishankar Center-Delhi, Harivallabh Sangeet Samora-Jallandhar, the Music Academy-Chennai, Chowdiah Memorial HallChowdiah Memorial Hall
Chowdiah Memorial Hall is a cultural centre in Bangalore which provides a home for musical and theatrical performances as well as competitions. Located in Malleswaram, it was built as a tribute to Tirumakudalu Chowdiah. It is administered by Academy of Music, an independent registered body, founded...
-Bangalore, India Music Group - Bombay, The Mysore Palace Ramakrishna Mission-Calcutta, Dover Lane Festival Calcutta, ITC SRA Festival-Delhi, Krishna Gana Sabha-Chennai, The Smithsonian, Kennedy Center and National Academy of Sciences in Washington D.C., J. Paul Getty Hall -Hollywood, Cerritos Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Eastman School of Music
Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester...
- Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, World Music Institute - New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Asian Art Museum
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is a museum in San Francisco, California, United States. It has one of the most comprehensive collections of Asian art in the world....
- San Francisco, Amadeus Mozart Conservatory-Salzburg, Austria, UC Los Angeles, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, San Diego State University, UC Irvine, Arizona State University - Tempe, University of Arizona-Tucson, University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas at Arlington, Texas Tech-Lubbock, University of North Texas-Denton, University of Chicago, University of West Virginia, University of Illinois - Urbana, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Maryland-College Park, University of Florida-Jacksonville, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Duke University- Durham, North Eastern University - Chicago, North Western University- Evanston, Royal College of Music - London, Leicester University - UK, University of Washington - Seattle, University of Washington - Pullman, University of Oregon - Eugene, Oregon State University - Corvallis, University of Oklahoma-Norman, Carniegi Melon University-Pittsburgh, Harvard and MIT at Boston, Wesleyan University- Connecticut, Yale University, Stanford University, University of Cincinnati, Rice University-Houston, Florida State University - Tampa, Drexel University, Drake University-Des Moines, Iowa State University-Ames, Colgate University, University of Pennsylvania- Philadelphia, Rutgers University-NJ, Texas A&M College Station, St. Thomas University-Houston, University of Louisiana-New Orleans, University of Alabama, Cornell University, Amherst College, Emory University - Atlanta, Georgia Tech, University of Tenn-Knoxville, Berkeley College of Music-Boston, SUNY Buffalo, Concordia University-Montreal, University of Calgary, Guilford College, Arizona State University-Flagstaff, Lausanne Conservatory-Switzerland, Xebec Hall and Across Fukuoka in Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
and Fukuoka
Fukuoka, Fukuoka
is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...
, Japan, Women's University- Osaka, Japan, Tsuyama Jazz Festival-Japan, Hong Kong Museum of Art
Hong Kong Museum of Art
The Hong Kong Museum of Art is the main art museum of Hong Kong. The museum was established as the City Hall Museum and Art Gallery in the City Hall in Central by the Urban Council in 1962. In 1991, it was moved to the present premises at 10 Salisbury Road, near the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and...
- Hong Kong, World Flute Conference - Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Theater De- La-Ville, UNESCO & Musee Guimet in Paris -France, Tropical Institute - Amsterdam, Music Gebou-Amsterdam, Rasa house of World Culture-Antwerp-Belgium, University of NSW, Sydney, Mcquarie University-Sydney, Monash University-Melbourne, University of Darwin, SUNY-Long Island, Judith Wright Center- Brisbane, Port Fairy Folk Festival-Australia, Darwin Entertainment Center-Darwin, University of Auckland, New Zealand, Richard Strauss Conservatory-Munich, WDR-Cologne, Bayriche Radio - Munich and Nurnberg, Rytmisk Conservatory-Copenhagen, Opera House-Copenhagen, University of Uppsala-Sweden, The Club in Oslo-Norway, International Book Fair-Torino-Italy, World Sacred Music Festivals- France, Germany and Belgium, The Lowry in Manchester-UK, The Sage in Gateshead - UK, Modigliani Hall -Padova-Italy, Museum Rietberg -Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, The Munchen Residency in Munich-Germany, SLF Auditorium, Singapore, Singapore Radio, Esplanade Theater-Singapore, Putra World Trade Center - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, The Adelaide Festival- Australia, Improvisation Festival in Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
- Switzerland, Seoul Plaza
Seoul Plaza
Seoul Plaza is a central plaza located in front of Seoul City Hall at Taepyeongno, Jung-gu in Seoul, South Korea. It was reopened on May 1, 2004, by Seoul Metropolitan Government with the purpose of providing the public an open space...
in Seoul - Korea, Les Oriental Festival -France, Fesitval of Nantes-France, Abbaye Royal Du Fontevraud in Samur -France, Royal Society Flute Conference in Manchester-UK, Oriental Festival in Evora, Portugal, The Meyrin Forum in Geneva, Trondheim Festival, Norway and a host of other institutions across the world.
Countries visited
US, Canada, UK, Spain, Portugal, France, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, South Africa, Kuwait, Bahrain, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong and Korea.Discography
He has released over 50CDs and 2 DVDs.- RoR Touch Part 2- a Fusion album - EMI / India Beat Records - 2008
- Sundara - DVD - 2010
- Mohana - DVD- 2010
- Sundara - CD - 2010
- Mohana - CD - 2010
- Live at the Playhouse - Copenhagen Jazz Festival - Jazz CD - 2009
- RoR Touch - a Fusion album - EMI / India Beat Records - 2008
- Floating Point with Legendary Guitarist John McLaughlin
- Bindumalini
- Josh - Live concert held at Saptak, Ahmedabad - CD 1
- Josh - Live concert held at Saptak, Ahmedabad - CD 2
- Enchanting Hamsadhwani
- Utsav - Music Today Masters of Indian Music - DVD intro by Pandit Jasraj
- Raag Lathangi
- Rasayana - Flute and Sitar in a dialogue - CD 1
- Rasayana - Flute and Sitar in a dialogue - CD 2
- Margazhi Melodies - Live Concert 2004 - CD 1
- Margazhi Melodies - Live Concert 2004 - CD 2
- Kalarasana - Live in Chennai - CD 1
- Kalarasana - Live in Chennai - CD 2
- Kalarasana - Live in Chennai - CD 3
- MOKSHA - Salvation
- FLIGHTS OF ECSTASY - 2005
- INTUITVE MINDS- The lute and Bamboo in a dialogue - CD 1
- INTUITVE MINDS- The lute and Bamboo in a dialogue - CD 2
- KRISHNA SMARANAM - DVD
- ANUBHAV - DVD
- KRISHNA SMARANAM - CD 1
- KRISHNA SMARANAM - CD 2
- PULLANKUZHAL OF SOUTH INDIA - KING RECORDS
- MUSIC ACADEMY, MADRAS - CD 1 - Live
- MUSIC ACADEMY, MADRAS - CD 2 - Live
- MUSIC ACADEMY, MADRAS - CD 3 - Live
- SAMMILAN - North and South in a melting pot
- MEDITATIVE SPELL
- THE BAMBOO IN A DIALOGUE
- MOONLIT MELODIES - MUSIC TODAY
- FLUTE FANTASIA - NAVRAS RECORDS
- REMINISCENCE OF BRINDAVAN
- MOMENTS OF ECSTASY - CD 1
- MOMENTS OF ECSTASY - CD 2
- God has many names - Swiss text book CD - 1995
- Endless beauties from the Bamboo - 1994 - CD 1
- Endless beauties from the Bamboo - 1994 - CD 2
- Melodies from the Bamboo Flute - Album 4 - 1993
- Melodies from the Bamboo Flute - Album 3 - 1993
- Melodies from the Bamboo Flutes - Album 2 - 1992
- Melodies from the Bamboo Flutes - Album 1 - 1991
External links
- Official site
- Shashank and Ustad Zakir Hussain Live in performance
- Shashank in performance with Ustad Zakir Hussain and Ustad Sultan Khan
- Shashank and Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt in performance
- Shashank and Ustad Zakir Hussain Live in performance
- BBC feature of Shashank on YouTube
- Shashank Live in Belgium
- Shashank Live in Germany
- Shashank Live Cochin
- Shashank Live performance