Soumik Datta
Soumik Datta is a torch-bearer of the fretless sarod. Born in Kolkata, he moved to London at the age of 11. Upon discovering his grandmother’s sarod he began his instruction with the legendary Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta in Kolkata. He later read for a Masters in Western Composition at Trinity College of Music. Merging Indian improvisation with eclectic arrangements, he began to perform music with a distinctly contemporary idiom.
An Artist-in-Residence at the Southbank Centre, 27 year-old Soumik, is a ‘British Sarod Maestro’. His innovations have led to stellar collaborations with Akram Khan, Talvin Singh, Nitin Sawhney, Bill Bailey, Jay Z and Beyonce. An electrifying performer and Nitin Sawhney’s ‘favourite musician’, Soumik has toured worldwide, composed for feature films – “Life Goes On” (2012) and “Tooting Broadway” – and heads his own label Baithak Records.
Through his work with Baithak and partners, such as the National Theatre Studios and Southbank Centre, Soumik has begun developing and presenting cross-disciplinary, collaborative work with dancers, theatre directors and film makers.
After ‘Circle of Sound’ which marked his sell-out directorial debut at the Southbank Centre April 2011, Soumik brings ‘Borderland’, his new commission by the DSC South Asian Literature Festival.
