South Asia Institute Presents,
SAI Free Family Saturday Event
Shanta Nurullah’s Songs and Stories
Saturday, September 30, 2023
12:00 PM Noon Start
11:30 Doors Open
FREE with RSVP
Bring the kids and whole family and join us for our final SAI Free Family Saturdays event of the season featuring and highlighting Chicago's own Shanta Nurullah and her band Sitarsys. Shanta and her band will perform songs and stories that celebrate and highlight African and African American by way of her bass and her Indian sitar which she has been playing for decades. Along with her words, Shanta will be honoring the folk and jazz music traditions.
Shanta Nurullah makes music primarily on sitar, bass, and mbira, and works as a storyteller and teaching artist. She has been performing professionally as a musician since 1972 and as a storyteller since 1978. She co-founded two all-women’s groups, Sojourner and Samana, and currently leads the ensemble, Sitarsys. Shanta first discovered her love for the sitar in India in 1969 and has been playing it and sharing its sounds ever since.
Her career spans over four decades of promoting African and African American folklore, spoken word performance, children's and improvisational music. A longtime member of the legendary Chicago based AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians), Shanta has received an Artist Fellowship from the Illinois Arts Council Agency and the Zora Neale Hurston Award from the National Association of Black Storytellers and recently the M3 Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022 in NYC. She has performed in venues across the country and internationally, distinguishing herself as a sitarist and bassist exploring African American improvisational music. ShaZah, her collaboration with vocalist Zahra Baker, has been featured recently on several virtual platforms. Shanta also teaches in the early childhood program at the Old Town School of Folk Music and is an advocate for women in the music industry.
https://www.shantastoryteller.com
Shanta Nurullah’s Sitarsys Lineup:
Shanta Nurullah - sitar, mbira
Alex Wing - oud, bass
Fred Jackson, Jr. - sax
Chethan Anant - bansuri flutes
Miguel de la Cerna - keyboard
Phil Fornet - drums
Zahra Baker- vocals, percussion
This event is supported by a grant from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.