New York-based Indian folk singer and songwriter Falu will be returning to the Brooklyn Museum for a free performance, as a part of the museum's First Saturday programming on April 2.
Falu, born Falguni Shah in Mumbai, India. Her music blends ancient classical Indian melodies with contemporary western sounds.
During her early years in Mumbai, Falu was trained rigorously in the Jaipur musical tradition and in the Benares style of Thumrie, honing her talent for up to 16 hours a day. She later continued studying under the late sarangi/vocal master Ustad Sultan Khan, and continues to study with the legendary Smt. Kishori Amonkar (Jaipur style). Falu moved to the States in 2000 and was appointed as a visiting lecturer at Tufts University where she taught Indian Classical Music for 2 years.
In her burgeoning U.S.-based career, she has worked with and collaborated with a wide array of artists including A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire), Yo-Yo Ma (in The Silk Road Project), Philip Glass, Wyclef Jean, her teacher Ustad Sultan Khan, Blues Traveler, Ricky Martin and Bernie Worrell(Parliament Funkadelic).
She was also appointed Carnegie Hall's ambassador of Indian Music in 2006, where her shows at Zankel Hall have been consistently sold out (as part of the Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute series).
One of Falu's most astonishing recent performances occurred alongside A.R. Rahman for President Obama and the First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House for their First State dinner in Nov 2009. She also was the featured performer at the Time-100 gala in 2009 in front of guests including Oprah Winfrey.
In 2015, Falu was named one of the top 20 most influential Global Indian Women in India's Economic Times. Falu is currently touring her new project, Falu's Bollywood Orchestra.
WHAT: Falu
WHEN: Saturday, April 2, 2016, 5:00pm
WHERE: The Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, Bklyn
HOW MUCH: Voluntary museum donation
