Role

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Composer

Genre

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Avant-Garde

 

 

Chamber

 

 

Vocal

 

Shirish Korde is a renowned Indian-American composer of classical music. He was born on October 18, 1945, in Pune, India. Korde grew up in a family of musicians, and his father was a well-known composer and musicologist. From a young age, Korde was exposed to Indian classical music and Western classical music, which greatly influenced his compositions. Korde began his formal music education at the age of six, studying Indian classical music with his father. He later studied Western classical music at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree. He then went on to earn a Master of Music degree from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. Korde's compositions are a fusion of Indian classical music and Western classical music. He has composed works for a variety of ensembles, including orchestras, chamber groups, and solo instruments. His compositions often incorporate Indian instruments such as the sitar, tabla, and sarod, as well as Western instruments such as the violin, cello, and piano. One of Korde's most well-known works is his opera, "Chitra." The opera is based on a play by Rabindranath Tagore and tells the story of a princess who falls in love with a warrior. The opera premiered in 1997 and has been performed in the United States, India, and Europe. Another notable work by Korde is his concerto for sitar and orchestra, "Svara-Yantra." The concerto was commissioned by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and premiered in 2008. The piece features the sitar as a solo instrument and incorporates elements of Indian classical music and Western classical music. Korde has also composed works for dance, including "Shakuntala," a ballet based on a play by Kalidasa. The ballet premiered in 1993 and has been performed by several dance companies in the United States. In addition to his work as a composer, Korde is also a professor of music at the University of Texas at Austin. He has received numerous awards and honors for his compositions, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Fulbright Fellowship. Korde's compositions have been praised for their unique fusion of Indian and Western classical music. His works often explore themes of cultural identity and the intersection of different musical traditions. Through his music, Korde has made a significant contribution to the world of classical music and has helped to bridge the gap between Eastern and Western musical traditions.

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