Pirashanna Thevarajah
Acknowledged by Presto Classical as being a “percussion wizard”, Pirashanna Thevarajah is recognized by the world music and Indian classical community as being an extremely versatile percussionist, with great command over instruments such as Mridangam, Kanjira, Ghatam and Morsing, as well as being equally versed with the art of Konnakol (Indian spoken rhythm).
Pirashanna has performed in such prestigious venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Carnegie Hall, Barbican Centre, Vienna Konzerthaus, Salle Pleyel, Hollywood Bowl, Frankfurt Alte Oper, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Palais des Beaux-Arts, KKL Luzern and at the Verbier Festival, Prague Spring Festival, WOMAD, Glastonbury Festival and London’s BBC Proms.
These performances have been as a result of his numerous collaborations with classical and contemporary artists such as Pandit Ravi Shankar, Anoushka Shankar, Mandolin U. Shrinivas, Aruna Sairam, Nitin Sawhney, Prof.T.V. Gopalakrishnan, Ganesh & Kumaresh, Talvin Singh, Karsh Kale, MIDIval Punditz to name a few.
“I have been working with Pirashanna since we were teenagers back in 2001. We have performed literally hundreds of concerts together. He has an incredible stage presence and both an extraordinary technical and improvisational skill as an accompanist, in a range of genres and on multiple instruments. He is a highly talented percussive musician and a pleasure to perform with.”
— Anoushka Shankar
“Pirashanna is the kind of modern virtuoso musician that has one foot so firmly rooted in tradition that he has no fear traveling far and wide with the other.”
— Karsh Kale
Topics of Expertise
PERCUSSION
INDIAN CLASSICAL PERCUSSION
MRIDANGAM
KANJIRA
GHATAM
MORSING
KONNAKOL (INDIAN SPOKEN RHYTHM)
Praised as a “percussion wizard” by Presto Classical, Pirashanna Thevarajah is recognized by the world music and Indian classical community for his great command over instruments such as Mridangam, Kanjira, Ghatam, and Morsing, as well as the art of Indian spoken rhythm, Konnakol.
After years of studying and performing his art with his guru Sri M Balachandar, Pandit Ravi Shankar invited him to perform in the “Concert for George” at the Royal Albert Hall in 2002 alongside artists such as Anoushka Shankar, Eric Clapton, Jeff Lynn, and many others. The concert later became a Grammy-award winning album.
Pirashanna then became an integral ensemble member in Ravi Shankar’s world tours up until his final concerts in India, America, and Europe. To this day he performs and records regularly with Anoushka Shankar, and has appeared on many of her Grammy-nominated albums.
Pirashanna has performed in such prestigious venues and festivals such as the Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Carnegie Hall, Barbican Centre, Vienna Konzerthaus, Salle Pleyel, Hollywood Bowl, Paris Philharmonic, Prague Spring Festival, WOMAD, Glastonbury Festival, and London’s BBC Proms. His collaborations to date include classical and contemporary artists such as Pandit Ravi Shankar, Anoushka Shankar, Mandolin U. Shrinivas, Amjad Ali Khan, Aruna Sairam, Nitin Sawhney, dancer Akram Khan, Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash, Talvin Singh, Karsh Kale and many others.
Today, from his home in Sydney, Pirashanna’s career echoes his desire to continuously nurture his artistry. He is persistently investigating new sound worlds and opening his mind to different cultures’ musical traditions whilst staying true to his Indian Carnatic heritage.