Our Bureau
London
Celebrated sitarist Anoushka Shankar will be conferred with an honorary degree on June 19 from the university of Oxford. The honor ceremony will be organized at the renowned university’s annual Encaenia academic ceremony. Besides the renowned sitarist, Warren East, Sir Demis Hassabis, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Sir Michael Palin and Professor Salim Yusuf will also be a part of a total 2024 cohort of six honorary degrees. The Never Forget Tibet composer expressed gratitude to the University of Oxford and her past teachers for this success.
Anoushka Shankar is a British-Indian-American musician, sitarist, composer and producer. Anoushka began studying the sitar as a child under her father, Ravi Shankar, and made her performing debut aged 13. Since releasing her first solo album at 17, she has made ten studio albums, three live albums and numerous collaborative recordings.
Among her accolades are nine Grammy nominations, an Ivor Novello Award nomination, a number of Eastern Eye ACTA awards and a Songlines Best Artist Award. Anoushka frequently works with organizations such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and Choose Love, to raise funds and awareness for the refugee crisis. She has also been outspoken about her own experiences, supporting campaigns such as One Billion Rising. Anoushka is an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music and was one of the first female composers to be added to the A-Level music syllabus by one of Britain’s biggest exam boards.
Anushka was the first Indian woman ever nominated and the youngest-ever nominee in the World Music Category for her album Live At Carnegie Hall in 2002. She also became the first Indian musician to perform at the ceremony in 2005, serve as a presenter in 2016 and perform for the second time in 2021. In addition to her fresh 8th and 9th nominations, the 42-year-old composer’s previous works have also been nominated for Grammy. These include Live At Carnegie Hall, Rise, Traveller, Traces Of You, Home, Land Of Gold and Love Letters.
Anoushka Shankar’s impressive repertoire stems from her extensive training under the guidance of her father, renowned sitarist Ravi Shankar.
