An artist’s journey, choices, thought process, outlook to their art and profession – as you listen to them there is so much food for thought diversity to our jaded corporate minds!
It is a fantastic, deeply refreshing and soulful experience; And I had the privilege of this experience while interviewing Vidya Shah, a musician whose voice transported me to another realm when I first heard her. And made me queue up to request her for an interview for our series on excellence.
I am delighted to share the series of Vidya Shah’s interview. I hope you enjoy hearing her beautiful take on how culture builds itself.
Continue watching our series over the week for the rest of our tete-a-tete with Vidya.
VIDYA SHAH is a composer and musician from New Delhi, India. She was initially trained in Carnatic music, and later received guidance in the North Indian genres of Khayal (from Shubha Mudgal and Mujahid Hussain Khan) and Thumri Dadra, and Ghazal (from Shanti Hiranand). She has performed at national and international forums, including the Tansen Samaroh in Gwalior, The Kennedy Centre in Washington D.C, The Asia Society in New York and the British Museum in London.
A popular performer and a prolific composer, Vidya has worked and performed with leading musicians including Grammy Awarde winning, Ghatam Wizard Pt.Vikku Vinayakaram, and electronica artists like Karsh Kale and MiDival Punditz. She is a recipient of the Charles Wallace Award and a Senior Fellowship from the Government of India for her project “Women on Record”, a performance highlighting the contributions of the forgotten women performers in the Gramophone era. Her special performances also include The Last Mughal (In performance) with author William Dalrymple, “Akhtari- the Life of Begum Akhtar”, and “Bas tu Hii” a rendition of Sufiana Kalam. She has several releases with leading Labels including Times Music and Six Degrees Music (California).
She writes and speaks on music and is the Author of Jalsa: Indian Women’s Journey from the Salon to the Studio (Tulika Books). She also features in a conversation series with artists on the National Television channel, where she has spoken to leading artists like Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Pt.Birju Maharaj and Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma. She is the Nana Shirgaonkar Chair Professor for Indian Music at Goa University for 2016-20
