Rishab Prasanna

Rishab was born in a renowned family of musicians from Varanasi who have traditionally played the shehnai for many generations.

Son and disciple of the great flute and shehnai maestro Pt. Rajendra Prasanna, he has been initiated into the art of flute playing by his grandfather Pt. Raghunath Prasanna, and received early training from his uncles Pt.Ravi Shankar Prasanna and Sh. Rakesh Prasanna. Today, it is is next to his father that he keeps learning finer skills of Hindustani music and flute techniques.

Nurtured in his family by the tradition (Gharana) of Banaras, Rishab is equally at ease with the light classical genres like thumri, chaiti, kajri and dhun (folk music of India). Since 2009 his career brought him to Europe where he opened his art to new dimension with musicians from different musical traditions (Swedish folk, jazz, contemporary, Greek, Arabic).

Rishab has performed in various venues over the world including WOMAD festival (Australia and New Zealand), Darbar festival (UK) and accompanied his father on the main music festival stages of India. As a solo performer of Indian classical Music he regularly performs in France (Détours de Babel, Les Allées Chantent, Musiques et Patrimoines) and gave concerts around the world (Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Japan, UAE, Kuwait, Spain, Holland, Netherland, Mauritius, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Slovenia, Belgium, Israël).

His musical collaborations include the projects Joussour (a 6 musicians band of oriental jazz music), Milap (a duet of contemporary creations based on Indian music, premiere of Zakir Hussein), Ahimsa (a puppet show on Gandhi’s philosophy), Drifting Orchestra (contemporary music with 6 musicians and 3 dancers), East (a trio of traditional Music from Sweden and Latvia) and more recently 99 (a musical project directed by poet and rap singer Marc Nammour, première in Avignon Festival). He also appears as a guest artist in many album of world music including the famous band Dreamer Circus (Sweden), Neggus&Kungobram (France), Samsmala (France).

Apart from his career as a musician Rishab also devotes his times to teach to numerous students in Europe and India. He was invited as a senior lecturer at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute in Mauritius to conduct a workshop for the teachers in the university in 2013 and regularly participates to projects in collaboration with associations ethnomusiKa and Kalasetu.

Awards: Surmani, Sangeet Sadhak, Sangeet Shiromani puraskar, 1st Prize Sahara Competition (2008).