Mishra

About

Mishra meld their roots in UK traditional music with continent-spanning musical textures incorporated into joyous and breathtaking performances and we are confident youll love them.
Presenting finely crafted songs with stunning vocals and exhilarating instrumentals, Mishra span eclectic moods, from meditative raag-inspired improvisations to high-energy Celtic dance tunes underpinned by unstoppable percussive grooves. They draw on training in Indian classical, UK folk and contemporary classical, and offer a distinctive instrumental palette including tabla, banjo, low whistle, santoor, double bass, clarinet and an array of percussion.

Formed by acclaimed folk musicians Kate Griffin and Ford Collier, all the members of Mishra met in Sheffield over a shared passion for the creative possibilities of Indian classical music. Inspiration blazed when Kate and Ford began learning from and exploring music with Mishra's tabla and santoor player John Ball, who shares his 20 years of deep study in Indian classical music through his Indian music ensemble at Sheffield University.

Through the ensemble they met jazz double bassist Joss Mann-Hazell and contemporary Western classical clarinettist Alex Lyon, and developed a common musical language for creative collaboration through the rhythms and melodies of Indian music. Despite the band's diverse musical backgrounds, the music they make is fluid and accessible, and always begins from the starting point of Kate and Ford's songwriting partnership.

Their genre-defying approach to composition has taken them to festivals and venues around the UK including Celtic Connections and Cambridge Folk Festival, won them a prestigious Danny Kyle award and brought critical acclaim for their two albums Reclaim and The Loft Tapes, including national radio play.

In 2021 Mishra received a commission from arts organisation zerOclassikal to create new music with renowned fusion artist and sufi vocalist Deepa Shakthi, who has worked with artists such as Kuljit Bhamra and toured with Opera North's production of Orpheus. 2023 saw them tour the UK in collaboration with Deepa, having received support from Arts Council England.

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