Ravi Shankar Bridges

Ravi Shankar is the Indian-born sitar player who helped introduce the instrument to the West. His virtuosity on the instrument has made him the musician that all other sitar players look up to.

Tutored on sitar as a young boy, Shankar began performing as a teen in the 1930s although he took further training, under Indian music maestro Allaudin Khan, from 1938 until l944. As his reputation in India grew, he wrote scores for Indian films, music for ballet and became the music director for All India Radio.

He began to tour outside India in the 50s and 60s, during which time there was a rise in interest in eastern culture in Europe and the States. George Harrison studied the sitar under him, and The Beatles had him play on “Norwegian Wood”, from the Rubber Soul album. The track has since been described as among the first world music recordings. In 1966 this greater attention led to invites to play at the Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock.

Shankar’s collaborations helped to introduce his music to listeners not necessarily versed in Indian traditional music. He has worked with Philip Glass, George Harrison and Russian State musicians, including a folk ensemble and the Moscow State Orchestra.

Shankar regularly tours with the cream of Indian musicians, and has worked with his daughter Anoushka, who he taught to play the sitar. He has also written work for films, and included in his credits are the Oscar nominated Ghandi and Indian film director Satyajit Ray’s Apu trilogy