WOMAD

Dr Jyotsna Srikanth

From United Kingdom

From the Rajasthan child singers of Chota Divana to the polythmic beats of Trilok Gurtu, there's a strong Indian presence at this year's WOMAD. The violinist Dr.Jyotsna Srikanth represents another strand of the sub-continent's diverse musical heritage. Now based in London, she learnt the rudiments of the classical Carnatic music of southern India from her mother at an early age and gave her first recital when she was just nine. Yet, although she has a profound respect for her heritage and performs in the classical Carnatic style with an impressive combination of emotional expression and masterful technique, she refuses to be bound by tradition. She's also an accomplished Western classical violinist, has performed on the soundtrack of some 200 Bollywood films and has her own crossover band whose most recent album was simply called Fusion Dreams. And as if that wasn't enough, she's also a medical doctor with a postgraduate degree in pathology...