Rakesh Chaurasia has carved out a position for himself in the world of Indian classical music with the Bansuri, a basic but incredibly difficult bamboo flute to play. Recently, he has dominated headlines ever since he earned several nominations on the global music awards stage. His collaborative album As We Speak was nominated at the Grammy Awards in three distinctive categories – Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, Best Instrumental Composition, and Best Global Music Performance. The album was a joint effort by Padma Vibhushan Zakir Hussain, multiple Grammy Award winners Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, and Rakesh Chaurasia. Amid formidable competition, the album secured a dual win in the Best Contemporary Instrumental and Best Global Music Performance categories.
Speaking about the hard work and efforts put into this award-winning album, Rakesh Chaurasia told Mid Day, “There’s such a big world of learning here. When you come from the classical genre, you can do as you please on stage. But, when collaborating with Western instruments and musicians from the West, one needs to become better at understanding them. In this album, no dubbing was involved. Everything on the album was recorded live. It’s hard work. We have to practice a lot to think about how we can improve each day. I’ve done many projects, but trying to understand what is being expected of me is interesting.”
Early Life
Rakesh Chaurasia is a student and nephew of flute master Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia. He is considered the most accomplished of his uncle’s pupils and has carried the Chaurasia legacy to even greater heights.
An Invincible International Career
The flutist has toured the world extensively, captivating audiences in classical and semi-classical concerts in Japan, Australia, Europe, South Africa, and the United States. While Rakesh Charasia likes to experiment with his albums, he has always remained focused on his ultimate goal of becoming a full-fledged classical musician. He has intensively performed at prestigious festivals such as WOMAD in Athens and Festivals of India in Russia, Japan, the United States, and Europe. His rising popularity and status have earned him invitations to perform solo at prestigious events in both India and abroad, including the Festival of Saint-Denis in Paris and the Leicester International Music Festival in England.
He has collaborated with several of the most prominent figures in the Indian film business. Another feather in his cap was that, Rakesh Chairasia was invited for the 24-hour live music broadcast to a global audience on BBC commemorating Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee.
Awards and recognition
In 2007, the Honourable President of India, Dr A.P.J Abdul Kalam, awarded him the Indian Music Academy Award.
In 2008, he earned the Aditya Birla Kalakiran Puraskar.
In 2011, he received the Guru Shishya Award.
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