Noteworthy

Groundbreaking sitarist Anoushka Shankar brings a lifetime of artistry to her début with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in the 2025/26 season. Performing the evocative Concerto No. 2, “Raga-Mala”, written by her father, Ravi Shankar, she carries forward a legacy that has shaped global perceptions of Indian classical music—while making it wholly her own. Known for seamlessly weaving the sitar into symphonic, electronic, jazz, and pop sound worlds, Anoushka challenges and expands our understanding of classical music’s possibilities.

Beginnings

Daughter of virtuoso sitarist Pandit Ravi Shankar—the hugely influential figure who brought the plucked string instrument of Indian classical music to the attention of the wider world from the late 1950s—Anoushka is herself sitar royalty. She picked up the instrument at age 8, studying with her father, and by age 14, she was touring extensively with him, accompanying him at concerts. As she mastered the instrument, artists of other musical genres and styles, such as the violinist Yehudi Menuhin, the composer Philip Glass, and the ex-Beatle George Harrison, also became formative figures in her life: “Those were the three that were so close to my father and also hugely influential in their own fields that, even as a kid, I was deeply aware of who they were.” This connection is reflected in the TSO program on which she appears; it opens with the Canadian Première of “Meetings Along the Edge”, a piece composed by Glass and Ravi Shankar for their collaborative album, Passages.

Path to Creative Diversity

After releasing three Indian classical recordings by age 20, Anoushka sought to “create music that more fully represents who I am,” pushing the boundaries of her instrument to incorporate symphonic, electronic, jazz, and pop music into her sound. The year 2016 was a significant turning point creatively, when she began to experiment and tour with a pedal board for the first time. The 11-time GRAMMY® nominee has collaborated with artists ranging from Sting, Patti Smith, and Herbie Hancock, to Joshua Bell (a 2025/26 TSO Spotlight Artist), Thomas Newman, and her half-sister, Norah Jones. Among her many artistic endeavours, she is taking over from her late father as the main interpreter of his compositions, including his Concerto No. 2, “Raga-Mala”, which she is performing with orchestras internationally, including the TSO. 

Ambassador of Sound 

Anoushka has recently been exploring the “sound world and the boundaries around my instrument” for a trilogy of mini-albums. She hopes to break restrictive perceptions around the sitar, particularly the “exotic” quality of its sound and past associations with psychedelic culture, presenting it instead in a modern light. At the same time, she chafes at the word “fusion” to describe the music she creates. “Is there anything that isn’t ‘fusion?’,” she recently asked in an interview with Monocle magazine. “Ultimately words don’t describe what we do. I prefer ‘neoclassical Indo-futurism’. But then again, aren’t those just words as well?” Still, she enjoys playing classical shows: “I have fun and I feel really happy…. My dad as my teacher was my biggest influence, and he was also like that.” 

“Getting to play my father’s music [such as his “Raga-Mala” Concerto] is a very beautiful experience. I get to almost dive into my father’s heart and mind a little bit more again when I play this music. Something about that feels very alive and very much about relationship whilst also being really, really beautiful music.”

Be transported by Anoushka Shankar’s luminous sitar and the timeless beauty of Ravi Shankar’s Concerto No. 2, “Raga-Mala”, at Shankar’s Sitar on May 21 and 23, 2026. Witness a landmark début that bridges tradition and innovation at the TSO. Get your tickets now at TSO.CA/Concerts.