Berklee Indian Ensemble to Welcome Shreya Ghoshal for Signature Series Performance on December 7
Shreya Ghoshal
Image courtesy of the artist
The Berklee Indian Ensemble, a dynamic group of students representing over 40 countries, will host playback singer and Bollywood superstar Shreya Ghoshal for a sold-out Signature Series performance on Thursday, December 7. Ghoshal began her musical journey at a young age, learning songs from her vocalist mother and beginning formal training in Hindustani classical music. As a teenager, she entered and won an Indian music reality television show, and made her Bollywood playback debut at 18. Since then, she has performed all over the world in various languages, often as the preferred vocalist for composers from India.
Ghoshal will perform with the ensemble in the group’s sold-out Signature Series show Shreya Ghoshal Meets Berklee on Thursday, December 7, at 8:00 p.m. at the Berklee Performance Center. The concert will be available for a global live stream. The performance will be produced by Berklee India Exchange's (BIX) Annette Philip (artistic director), Clint Valladares (managing director), and Rohith Jayaraman (assistant manager). BIX is a platform for cultural conversation about Indian music through artist residencies, musical collaborations, and performances.
“Shreya Ghoshal is a master storyteller through music, and her journey has inspired innumerable young artists around the world who hope to make a career by following their dreams,” said Philip ’09, founder of the Berklee Indian Ensemble. “Shreya is unique in the Indian music industry as one of the most versatile vocalists of our time. But besides crossing genres, it is her ability to authentically sing in over 12 vastly different Indian languages that sets her apart. Oftentimes, legendary composers will pick Shreya over native speakers of a language, and that is a true feat. Her performance with the Berklee Indian Ensemble will be one to remember.”
The Berklee Indian Ensemble was founded in 2011 by Philip with 18 students. The group now features over 40 musicians for each concert. It has accumulated over 52 million views on YouTube with its viral music videos. The ensemble has performed throughout the United States and India at various festivals and music venues.
Previous artists in residence with the Berklee Indian Ensemble include Indian vocalist, composer, and producer Clinton Cerejo in 2013; Grammy- and Academy Award-winning composer A. R. Rahman in 2014; master vocal improviser Vijay Prakash in 2015; and virtuosic vocalist and composer Shankar Mahadevan in 2016.