Tuesday, August 13, 2013
PANDIT HARI PRASAD CHAURASIA (born 1 July 1938) is an Indian classical flutist. He
started learning vocal music from his neighbor, Pandit Rajaram, at the age of
15. Later, he switched to playing the flute under the tutelage of Pandit
Bholanath Prasanna of Varanasi for eight years. He joined the All
India Radio,Cuttack, Odisha in 1957 and worked as a composer and
performer. Much later, while working for All India Radio, he received guidance
from the reclusive Annapurna Devi, daughter of Baba Allaudin Khan.
Apart from classical music, he has made a mark as a music director
for Indian films along with Shivkumar Sharma, forming a group called Shiv-Hari.
He has collaborated with world musicians in experimental cross-cultural
performances, including the fusion group Shakti.
He serves as the artistic director of the World Music Department
at the Rotterdam Music Conservatory in the Netherlands. He is also the founder
of the Vrindavan Gurukul in Mumbai (opened 2006) and Vrindavan Gurukul in
Bhubaneshwar (opened 2010). Both of these institutes are schools dedicated to
training students in Hindustani Bansuri in the Guru-shishya tradition. As
a Guru, he has produced many noted disciples including his nephew Rakesh
Chaurasia.
He has collaborated with several western musicians,
including John McLaughlin, Jan Garbarek, and Ken Lauber, and has
composed music for Indian films. He has performed throughout the world, winning
acclaim from varied audiences and fellow musicians including Yehudi
Menuhin and Jean-Pierre Rampal.
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