Gingger Shankar Has MOMENTUM, Emanating Her Unique Sound Signature from Carnegie Hall to 'The Himalayas'
With a New Electro Pop EP Coming This Fall, The World's Preeminent Double Violinist and Singer Brings an Uncommon Touch to Feature Films, Multimedia Productions and Rock 'n' Roll.
- (1888PressRelease) June 17, 2014 - Old Lyme, CT - In April, audio specialist Sennheiser announced its MOMENTUM campaign, which together with Spotify highlights one hundred unique sound stories from all over the world: stories about creators with MOMENTUM, people who push the world forward with their creative passions. The stories feature artists, innovators and entrepreneurs in the truest sense, and serve to inspire others to uncover their own unique MOMENTUM.
Gingger Shankar is the latest creative innovator in this series of inspiring stories. Shankar, who is a classically trained opera singer, virtuoso violinist, composer and performer, is a diverse musician with a hetereogeneous lineage of influences. Since landing her first feature film composer role on The Passion of The Christ, she has gone on to compose music for motion pictures including Charlie Wilson's War, Circumstance and others.
Part of Shankar's unique sound stems from the fact that she is only female in the world to have mastered the 10-string double violin - an instrument that covers the entire range of the orchestra's double bass, cello, viola and violin. Coupled with her classically trained voice, her double violin performances lend an unparalleled emotional quality to her projects. As a soprano, she has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Osvaldo Golijov's opera "Ainadamar" and later performed it at Carnegie Hall. An incredibly versatile artist, Shankar then went on to tour with the Smashing Pumpkins as a special guest during their 20th Anniversary tour.
"As a teenager when I first started performing, I was very worried about what box I would fit into," Shankar recalls. "Am I a pop musician, an opera musician, an Indian classical musician? I realized that I loved all these different kinds of music, and I love the audiences, which are all so different from one another. For example when I perform Himalaya Song, which is a multimedia project, we play at film festivals and museums, which I wouldn't necessarily do with my pop projects. My film composing, meanwhile, reaches a completely different set of audiences. Now I am just inspired to be making music all the time, and not so worried about what box I fit into."
Himalaya Song, her live-performance multimedia collaboration with Mridu Chandra (narration and video) and Dave Liang (piano), explores the recent impact of environmental and ecological change in the Himalayas. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2013 and was voted one of the 10 Best Music Films by Rolling Stone. The performance includes visual imagery and storytelling, while combining the sounds of modern and ancient instruments. Shankar is also set to release her new EP this fall, which will include a collaboration with multi-platinum hit writer Linda Perry as well as her moving adaptation of U2's classic track "Sunday Bloody Sunday". Most recently she appeared on Katy Perry's upcoming single "Legendary Lover" on her multi-platinum album.
"MOMENTUM is a lot of different things," observes Shankar. "I think it is a lot of luck, a lot of hard work, a lot of passion. I think when all the pieces start coming together on a project you can feel it happen. I think the MOMENTUM project is important because we live in a time where everyone is so stressed out. The world is moving so fast, and there are very few positive outlets. But I think at some level everyone is creative, and you have to listen to that. It doesn't mean you have to make an album or paint a painting, but with the technology we have, you can do anything."
What's your MOMENTUM?
As part of the MOMENTUM campaign, Sennheiser is inviting anyone to share their creativity by contributing their own videos on www.sennheiser-momentum.com and by watching the MOMENTUM videos. Visitors can vote for their favorite stories and add their own seven-second MOMENTUM film to a video chain that inspired them, or that shares the same themes or ideas as their own submission. To take part in the MOMENTUM project, videos can be uploaded between now and July 31, 2014.
Those who inspire the most successful chains, creators of the most successful videos, and people who vote over ten times in a week will be eligible for a weekly prize drawing for a pair of MOMENTUM headphones and a six month subscription to Spotify Premium. As part of the campaign, Sennheiser will also award 'ultimate sound experience' trips to New York, London and Tokyo.
To learn more, watch the films or to submit videos, visit www.sennheiser-momentum.com. Even more MOMENTUM videos can be found on www.youtube.com/sennheisermomentum.
About Gingger Shankar:
Gingger Shankar is a singer, virtuoso violinist, composer, model and songwriter, and was born into one of the world's most acclaimed and influential musical families. Her accomplishments include working with top producers and film composers including Mel Gibson, The Smashing Pumpkins, Trent Reznor, Mike Nichols, Mike Myers, and James Newton Howard. In addition to her film projects, she has also has lent her voice and violin to several diverse projects ranging from soundtracks to pop and electronic hip-hop.
In 2011 she was chosen as one of Filmmaker Magazine's '25 New Faces to Watch', as well as becoming a member of the Advisory Board for the Sundance Film Festival along with Mark Ruffalo, Lake Bell, Rashida Jones and others. Shankar composed music for the critically acclaimed 2012 Sundance U.S. Dramatic Audience Award Winner 'Circumstance' directed by Maryam Keshavarz. In addition to being the artist and co-composer behind the poignant score of Mel Gibson's blockbuster "Passion of the Christ", Shankar's music can be heard in Mike Nichol's film, "Charlie Wilson's War". For more information on Gingger Shankar's work please visit: www.ginggershankar.com.
About Sennheiser:
Sennheiser is a world-leading manufacturer of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems. Established in 1945 in Wedemark, Germany, Sennheiser is now a global brand represented in 60 countries around the world with U.S. headquarters in Old Lyme, Conn. Sennheiser's pioneering excellence in technology has rewarded the company with numerous awards and accolades including an Emmy, a Grammy, and the Scientific and Engineering Award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
You can find all the latest information on Sennheiser by visiting our website at http://www.sennheiserusa.com.
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