Pandit Shivnath Mishra is one of the leading sitar artists of India, he created a unique style of sitar playing called Banaras singing style of sitar.
Pandit Shivnath Mishra also known as the “Legend of the Sitar”, is the 6th generation of the prominent Benares Gharana lineage of top-class singers including Pandit Bade Ramdas Mishra who was Panditji’s great-grandfather. Since childhood, his highly musical family could see the signs of a maestro in him. When Panditji was five years old he began studying vocal music with his father, Pt.Badri Prasad Mishra, and his uncle-guru, Pt.Mahadev Prasad Mishra. However, when he was eight, his musical inclination led him to the study of the sitar. Due to the vocal influence from his family as well as the Benares Gharana tradition, he is one among few artists in Contemporary India who ‘sing inside’ while playing a musical instrument. In 1966 when he received the gold medal in the All India Music Conference, in Calcutta. 1979 marked the beginning of his performances abroad, since then he has been constantly on tour in many countries in Europe, North America, and Asia. Being one of India’s premiere sitar artists, Pandit Shivnath Mishra was also the Head of the Music Department at the Sampurnanand Sanskrit University in Varanasi, for 36 years.
“Both, father and son are truly cultural ambassadors of India”
Pandit Deobrat Mishra:- Deobrat Mishra is an Indian Sitar, Surbahar, and music composer. He is an exponent of the Benares Gharana school of Hindustani classical music. The Son of Pandit ShivnathMishra, the legend of Sitar from this Gharana, has an energetic and innovative playing style, with typical features like selectivity, melody, and rhythmic complexity. His playing style is very original and unique in the sense that he plays Banarasi Thumri on sitar, combining it with Dhrupad and Khayal styles of singing, creating a rare style. Since 1994 he has been touring throughout Europe with his father. In the same year, he received an award at Youth Festival. In 2000 he received the award of Sur Mani in Mumbai. His many projects include music workshops, solo performances for radio and television as well as world music programs with Indian and European artists. Moreover, he provides music lessons at the Academy of Indian Classical Music, the school he founded along with his father, Pandit Shivnath Mishra, in 1999. International music groups, he worked with: Indo-European Music Ensemble, India meets Europe, Open Strings, Trio Benares, Embryo.
Krishna Mishra:- Krishna Mishra is the grandson of the great Sitar Maestro Pandit Shivnath Mishra and son of Pandit Deobrat Mishra. Krishna Mishra is one of the talented upcoming Sitar players of Benares music tradition. When he was five he started to learn Sitar from his grandfather and father. He performed in many places in Varanasi and from 2019 he started to perform with his grandfather and father on stage as a three-generation Sitar Artist of the same family linage which is very rare to find nowadays that musicians play the same instruments continuously for three generations.
Prashant Mishra:- Prashant Mishra is one of the best young Tabla players of Benares Gharana. When he was five he started to learn tabla with the family member of Biru Mishra of Varanasi also studying Tabla presently with Mr.Chakkan Lal Mishra (Student of Great Tabla player Anokhelal Mishra). Soon after few years of hard practice with his grandfather Pandit Shivanath Mishra and uncle Deobrat Mishra he was able to perform with Mishra’s his skills beautifully complement and support the Mishras in their concerts and travel around the world with them.In 2004 he won first prize in the Tabla competition organized by Sangeet Natak Academy Uttar Pradesh India. He received many awards for his tabla playing at many different places.