Bio

Pt. Sukhdev Prasad Mishra has been an unparalleled ambassador of Hindustani (north Indian) classical music for over thirty years. He comes from an illustrious musical family of the famous Banaras gharana (lineage).

Sukhdev Mishra is the son of Late Pt. Bhagwan Das Mishra, who was an expert both in sarangi and in tabla. Like his father, Sukhdev Mishra is an expert in two disciplines. He is adept in vocal music, for which he received training from his uncle Late Pt. Narayan Das Mishra, famous sarangi maestro of the Banaras gharana. In addition he has mastered violin, which he learnt initially from his brother Pt. Somnath Mishra, and later from Dr. V. Balaji (Banaras Hindu University).

Sukhdev Mishra started his performing career at the tender age of six. He holds a triple master degree, namely M.Com., M.Mus. and Sangeet Bhaskar (M.Mus., Chandigahr), and he has received many Indian awards including Surmani (Mumbai), Sangeet Ratha and King of Melody. He has released over twenty-five CDs and cassettes and has recorded music for the main Indian radio stations. Many great artists have congratulated and blessed him for his talent.

On the violin, Sukhdev Mishra is an experimentalist; he constantly explores new techniques, thus he has developed his own and unique style. He is known for playing both instrumental and vocal styles, and his bold use of meend and gamaka (sliding techniques) as well as his excellent bowing skills make his sound unique. In his performances, Sukhdev Mishra is also recognised for the faithfulness with which he renders traditional ragas (raagdari), and for his playfulness with tempo (layakari).

Sukhdev Mishra travels every year to play concerts and organise Indian violin workshops abroad. So far he has already performed in France, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Austria, the UK and Mexico. Some of the venues in which he has performed include Unicorn Theater (London, UK), BBC Radio (London, UK), La fete de la Musique (Switzerland), Theatre of Music (France) and Jazz Club (Vigo, Spain). World-famous, Bharat Ratna-awarded Late Pt. Ravi Shankar Ji and Ustad Bismillah Khan have been seen amongst his mesmerised audience. Everywhere he performs and in all countries, his music touches the soul of his listeners.