Shashank Subramanyam

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Shashank Subramanyam
BornRudrapatna, India
Genres Carnatic music indian classical music
Occupation(s)Musician / Famous Indian Instrumentalist
Instrument(s) Venu flute
Years active1984–present
Website shashank.org

Shashank Subramanyam (was born Oct. 14 1978) is a Grammy-nominated exponent of the Bamboo Flute from India and specialises in Indian Classical Music. [1] He is a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi's senior award by Govt. of India bestowed by the Hon. President of India for the year 2017 at an investiture ceremony held at Rashtrapathi Bhavan in New Delhi. He was a child prodigy and began performing from his age of 6 in 1984 and has performed for four decades.

Contents


Early life

Shashank Subramanyam was born in Rudrapatna, India, to Hemalatha and Prof. Subramanyam. His forefathers belong to Tirunelveli dist of Tamil Nadu. He was trained in Carnatic and Hindustani music by his father and by legendary vocalists Palghat K.V. Narayanaswami, and Pandit Jasraj. [2] Shashank is married to Shirisha, a Bharatanatyam dancer. He had no formal Gurus for Flute playing and was self taught. Shashank and Shirisha have a daughter Swara and son Samvit and live in Chennai, India. [3]

Performing career

Shashank performed in public for the first time in 1984 at the age of six. Shashank began performing at the top circuit in 1990 with major performances in Adelaide, Australia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and in Singapore followed by his major performance at Shastri hall in December 1990. [4] His career-defining moment came when the Music Academy invited Shashank, just 12 years old, to perform in the senior most performance slot "SADAS concert" at The Music Academy, Chennai 1 January 1991.[ citation needed ]

Shashank has worked extensively presenting collaborative performances with host of musicians from India and around the world including John McLaughlin, Paco de Lucia, Wuppertal and Shanxi Symphony Orchestras, The New Jungle Orchestra, Mikkel Nordso, Terry Riley, Ustad Shahid Parvez, Zakir Hussain, Ustad Sultan Khan, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Ronu Mazumdar, Rakesh Chaurasia, Ustad Shujaat Khan, [5] and Debu Choudhury.

Shashank performs in a wide range of concert environments from the pure Indian classical, Symphonies, Jazz, Films and crossover projects. He has led many ensembles and also has been a guest artist on many famed bands like Remember Shakti, New Jungle Orchestra, Blue Lotus, etc.\

Awards and Honours

Style and Contribution

Shashank Subramanyam is an accomplished musician renowned for his expertise in Carnatic classical music and training in Hindustani classical music. His exceptional talent allows him to skillfully blend patterns of improvisation from both music systems, making use of a diverse range of flutes that cover octaves not typically supported by the traditional Carnatic flute. Audiences recognize Shashank for his captivating performances characterized by intricate improvisations, melodious compositions, and pulsating rhythmic variations.

At the heart of his concerts lies the central piece known as Ragam Tanam Pallavi, thoughtfully composed by Shashank himself, showcasing his artistic brilliance.

Throughout his musical journey, Shashank has made significant contributions to the field of flute playing. He has introduced and popularized the innovative Multi Flute Fingering technique in Carnatic Music performances, inspiring flute players worldwide. His distinctive style, effectively reproducing the human voice and addressing challenges associated with traditional fingering techniques, has garnered much attention.

Among his notable contributions are the claw-shaped fingering technique, enhancing the ease of playing fast phrases and producing echo effects. Shashank has also dedicated effort to achieving faster taans across various octaves, intricate slides between notes and octaves, and mastering gamakas. In doing so, he has reduced stress on fingers by introducing easier finger movements. An integral part of Shashank's artistic expression is the harmonious integration of vocal and instrumental styles in Carnatic music, showcased through the sounds produced by the flute. His innovations include techniques for dual octave sound production, incorporating kalpana swaras and Tanam in a unique blend of vocal and instrumental styles.

Additionally, Shashank has honed advanced breath control and tonguing techniques, and he has introduced percussion-like fingering techniques on the flute. As a co-creator, he played a vital role in developing the Shashank style of Carnatic Flute, addressing age-old defects associated with the instrument.


Countries Performed

Shashank has performed and taught in prestigious institutions in India and over 50 countries around the world including India, USA, China, Canada, Macedonia, Hungary, Bangladesh, UK, France, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Iran, Morocco, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Philippines and Korea.

Discography

He has released over 75CDs and 10 DVDs.

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References

  1. "Archive News". The Hindu.
  2. "The Hindu : Friday Review Chennai : On an innovative journey". www.shashank.org.
  3. "Review - Shirisha Shashank – a Bharatanatyam review - Aneal Krishnamurthy". www.narthaki.com.
  4. "Press clippings" (JPG). www.shashank.org. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 7 April 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)