Bands
Amira Sultana Ensemble
Amira Sultana Ensemble
A Unique Musical Dialogue
The Amira Sultana Ensemble captivates its audience with an unconventional line-up that brings together the voices of two singers from Indian and Arabic cultural backgrounds, creating a rare and mesmerising musical dialogue. Adding to the ensemble’s allure is the renowned Indian flautist Shashank Subramanyam, celebrated not only in his homeland but around the globe as one of the most virtuosic performers on the bamboo flute, the Bansuri.
At the heart of the ensemble’s music is a creative exchange that bridges the traditional musical forms of raga and maqam from the Near and Middle East with free Western improvisations, resulting in the emergence of unexpected and novel soundscapes. Traditional Eastern instruments such as the ney flute, bansuri, daf, and tabla are combined with Western instruments such as the saxophone and cello. Together with the evocative voices of indian vocalist Prashanthi Sankaran and Syrian vocalist Riema Abdunnur, the ensemble crafts enchanting melodies and varied rhythms.
The ensemble emerged from a dialogue project initiated by the NRW Kultursekretariat, where the six musicians embarked on an intensive, exploratory journey together. Since its formation in early 2023, the project ensemble has performed three times, with the unique and skilled line-up paving the way for continued collaboration. Central to the dialogue is the contrast between the vocal styles of singers from Indian and Arabic traditions, as the human voice serves as the foundation for melodic expression, timbre, and ornamentation in both cultures, upon which all other instrumental interpretations are built.
The ensemble draws on instruments closest to the voice, such as the Indian bamboo flute (Bansuri) and the Turkish and Arabic ney flute (reed flute), whose playing techniques differ vastly yet can harmoniously intertwine in musical dialogue. Indian percussion, driven by the mastery of Shashank Subramanyam, provides the rhythmic foundation for this intercultural musical exchange. His extensive international experience enriches the project with a wide range of stylistic possibilities. Shashank now spends much of the year in Cologne, making it easy for the ensemble to rehearse regularly. His rhythmic artistry is perfectly complemented by the renowned percussionist Ramesh Shotham.
The Western instruments, such as Maren Lueg’s saxophone and Ludger Schmidt’s cello, facilitate a dialogue between culturally rooted musical structures. These instruments are ideal for exploring new sound worlds and elevating the exchange of Eastern musical traditions into a transcultural, experimental sound space.
Line-up:
- Prashanthi Sankaran: Indian Classical Vocals, Piano
- Shashank Subramanyam: Indian Bamboo Flute (Bansuri)
- Ramesh Shotham: Percussion
- Riema Abdunnur: Vocals and Daf
- Maren Lueg: Saxophones, Flute, Ney Flutes, Mizmar
- Ludger Schmidt: Cello
Ensemble Line
Prahanthi Sankaran, Indian classical vocals, piano and music production
Prahanthi Sankaran, grew up in Bangalore, Karnataka, South India and has been living in Cologne since 2012. From 1998 to 2007 she studied classical Caranatic singing of South India and Hindustani singing of North India.
In 2018, she completed a degree in electronic music production in Cologne. She combines elements of Indian classical music with western classical and contemporary music.
She is currently working with pianist Marcus Schinkel on an integrative music project based on Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis together with Kurdish Jewish and Buddhist musicians.
Prahanthi is a representative of musical intercultural cooperation.
Ramesh Shotham
is one of the most versatile and extraordinary musicians on the Cologne scene. He comes from Madras, now Chennai, and is at home in rock, jazz, fusion, improvised and many other types of music. His concerts with Charlie Mariano, the Karnataka College of Percussion and the WDR Big Band are unforgettable.
Born in Madras (now Chennai) in southern India, Ramesh Shotham is a percussionist who wanders between worlds. A Ravi Shankar concert in Delhi and John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra introduced him to his own roots, and he began to study South Indian drumming on pakhawaj, tavil, ghatam, mridangam and kanjira. In 1980, he came to Europe with the Indian Jazz Yatra Sextet and decided to stay here, in Cologne to be precise. Since then, he has built up a reputation as one of the most sought-after percussionists in the world music scene as well as in jazz.
Ludger Schmidt
Through a sound education at the Detmold College of Music and further private studies with Frieder Lenz (long-time assistant to Paul Tortelier) and Frieder Obstfeld (former Cherubini Quartet), through his work on many theater stages and in many music ensembles in the fields of jazz, classical, modern and world music, he has developed a repertoire of musical possibilities to use the cello in a wide variety of projects: Music in combination with performing arts, literature and dance.
CD releases with The Dorf, The Sephardics, East-West Pacem Orchestra with the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra, Collage 11, Ensemble DRAj and many more.
With his ensemble The Sephardics he won the 1st prize „creole – Global Music from NRW“ in 2017
2019 the `RUTH` Prize of German Folk and World Music 2020 the WDR Jazz Prize with The Dorf.
2018 Collaboration with the Indian vocal/piano duo Sourendro-Soumyojit with a concert at the international festival Moers.
Shashank Subramanyam
an internationally established master of the Indian bamboo flute, trained by his father and the legendary vocalist Palghat K.V Narayanasami in Hundustani music. He has developed a virtuoso style on his instrument that enables him to break the boundaries of Indian musical tradition with playful freedom and masterfully create connections to other musical cultures as well as immerse himself in contemporary Western musical culture without abandoning the encouragement and appreciation of his tradition as a fundamental pillar. Shashank has collaborated for over thirty years with musicians such as guitarists John McLaughlin and Paco De Lucia, tabla player Zakir Hussain, Ustad Sultan Khan, Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and Pt. Ajoy Chakraborthy.
2009 Grammy nomination for the album with guitarist John McLaughlin. In 2017 he was awarded the Sangeet Natak AkademiSenior Award. BBC World TV has presented a documentary on him titled Shashank Destination Music.
Güler Bulgurcu, singer and daf player
born in Istanbul, 2008 Erasmus studies, University of Greifswald
Brückenklang Workshop – Transcultural Arranging and Composing with Kioomars Musayyebi and Andreas Heuser Community Music as a five-day workshop at the Landesmusikakademie NRW in cooperation with Musicians without Borders.
Singer with Aramic Ensemble in Essen (Oriental music)
Singer and daf player with Güler&Firat (Kurdish, Turkish, Armenian music)
2019 Musical stories from the Bosporus: Memories of Istanbul with song (Open Stage – RUB Arts &Culture International)
2018 Musical Representations of Loneliness: Presentation of Research with Music (3rd Student Conference at the Music Center of the Ruhr-University Bochum)
Singer with Yakamos in Bochum (world music)
Maren Lueg - Saxophone & Arabic Nay Flute
Comes from Germany and studied for a performance BA in World Music and Jazz at the UHI in Scotland. Later she completed her MA in Middle Eastern Music Performance at SOAS in London. Over the past 20 years she has established herself as a specialist in Middle-Eastern music in Great Britain and Germany and has initiated many successful music projects with Syrian and Iraqi musicians.
