{{short description|American singer-songwriter}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2020}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Gingger Shankar | image = Gingger Sunday Bloody Sunday Video Shoot.jpg | alt = Gingger Shankar—an Indian woman in a black dress and black boots, with long black hair—plays 10-string violin onstage. | birth_name = Niranjani Subramaniam | alias = Gingger Shankar | origin = Los Angeles, United States | genre = Pop, Rock, Electronica, World, Carnatic | instrument = Vocals, double violin, violin, viola | occupations = Singer-songwriter, violinist, composer | years_active = 2003—present | associated_acts = The Smashing Pumpkins, Rabbit in the Moon | label = Sony, Varese Sarabande, Milan Records, Universal | website = [http://www.ginggershankar.com ginggershankar.com] }} '''Gingger Shankar''' (born '''Niranjani Subramaniam'''; in Los Angeles) is an American singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist. She has scored several films, including ''Circumstance''.
==Early life== Shankar was born in Los Angeles, California and raised there and in India. She is the eldest daughter of violinist Dr. L. Subramaniam. Her mother, Viji Subramaniam, was a classical singer just like her grandmother Lakshmi Shankar, sister-in-law of noted sitarist Ravi Shankar.<ref name="das">{{cite web |title=Being a Shankar |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/being-a-shankar/cid/160752 |date=12 Jul 2014 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231001224907/https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/being-a-shankar/cid/160752 |archive-date=1 October 2023 |work=Telegraph |last=Das |first=Mohua}}</ref><ref name="own site">{{cite web |title=Gingger Shankar: Bio |url=http://ginggershankar.com/?page_id=90 |access-date=July 17, 2012}}</ref> As a child, she learned to sing, dance, and play violin and piano and attended the Kalakshetra creative arts school in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Later, she studied opera vocals with professional opera singer Tantoo Cardinal in Sherman Oaks, California. She also modeled and acted in stage productions. She began performing professionally at age 14.
==Instruments== Shankar plays the violin, cello and piano. She is the only woman in the world to play the double violin.<ref name="own site" /> This ten-string, stereophonic instrument covers the entire orchestral range, including double bass, cello, viola and violin.<ref name="I am a Hybrid">{{cite web | title= Gingger Shankar: I am a Hybrid | url= http://www.timescrest.com/society/i-am-a-hybrid-gingger-shankar-5165 | access-date= April 9, 2011 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110411080805/http://www.timescrest.com/society/i-am-a-hybrid-gingger-shankar-5165 | archive-date= April 11, 2011 | url-status= dead }}</ref>
==Career==
===Motion pictures=== In 2004, she performed on the score of composer John Debney for the movie ''The Passion of the Christ''.<ref>{{Citation|title=The Passion of the Christ (2004)|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0335345/fullcredits|access-date=February 18, 2018}}</ref>
She is also credited as a performer on the score the 2007 film ''Charlie Wilson's War'', alongside composer James Newton Howard.<ref>{{Citation|title=Charlie Wilson's War (2007)|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472062/fullcredits|access-date=February 18, 2018}}</ref>
Shankar contributed to the 2008 film ''The Forbidden Kingdom''.<ref name="own site" />
She composed music for the 2011 film, ''Circumstance'', which won the Sundance Audience Choice Award.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2011/01/sundance-2011-winners-101770/ |title=Sundance: 2011 Winners: 'Like Crazy' Wins Grand Jury Dramatic Prize, 'How To Die In Oregon' Wins Documentary | first=Mike | last=Fleming | date=January 29, 2011|work=Deadline New York}}</ref>
In 2012, she debuted her multi-media project Himalaya Song at the Sundance Film Festival. It was a project about climate change in the Himalayas with live film, narration and music created by Gingger, Mridu Chandra and Dave Liang of the Shanghai Restoration Project. It was chosen as one of the 10 Best Music Films at Sundance by Rolling Stone Magazine.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/pictures/the-10-best-music-films-at-sundance-2012-20120117/himalaya-song-0966340 |title=Rolling Stone: 10 Best Music Films | first=Dan | last=Hyman | date=January 17, 2012|magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref>
In May 2013, Monsoon Shootout, a thriller she scored for director Amit Kumar premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-monsoon-shootout-1200484337/ |title=Variety: Monsoon Shootout| first=Maggie | last=Lee | date=May 20, 2013|work=Variety}}</ref>
In 2014, Brahmin Bulls, a film she scored for director Mahesh Pailoor opened in the US. Starring Sendhil Ramamurthy, Roshan Seth and Mary Steenburgen, it won film festival awards.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2014-11-12/film/brahmin-bulls// |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141115191416/http://www.villagevoice.com/2014-11-12/film/brahmin-bulls/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 15, 2014 |title=Village Voice: Brahmin Bulls| first=Serena | last=Donadoni | date=November 12, 2014|work=The Village Voice}}</ref>
In 2015, she composed the music for the virtual reality 'Project Syria' created by Nonny De La Peña which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sundance.org/projects/project-syria |title=Project Syria |publisher=Sundance Institute |access-date=February 5, 2015 |archive-date=December 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205153325/https://www.sundance.org/projects/project-syria |url-status=dead }}</ref>
===Musician=== Shankar has performed in numerous festivals and venues alongside acts such as Smashing Pumpkins, Tony Levin, Steve Vai, Steve Lukather and Sussan Deyhim.<ref>{{cite web|first=Ben |last=Ehrenreich |url=http://www.laweekly.com/film/index.php?option=com_sponsoredlinks&task=on_sale&id=1248&Itemid=366 |title=Minuteman Divisions |publisher=LA Weekly |date=July 28, 2005 |access-date=July 16, 2013 }}{{dead link|date=January 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
She performs on a track in the 2007 Saul Williams album ''Niggy Tardust'', produced by Trent Reznor.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.discogs.com/release/1124058|title=Saul Williams– The Inevitable Rise And Liberation Of NiggyTardust|publisher=discogs}}</ref>
In July 2008, Shankar appeared in two Sgt. Pepper's 40th-anniversary concerts at the Hollywood Bowl.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117934409.html?categoryid=34&cs=1&nid=2562|newspaper=Variety| title=Variety Review:Sgt. Pepper's at 40: A Beatles Celebration | first=Richard S. | last=Ginell | date=August 13, 2007|access-date=September 21, 2012}}</ref>
On July 16, 2012, she appeared in the music video "Love All Humans" alongside guitarist Anthony Gallo, actress Kate Kelton, model Tara Bre and others.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://loveallhumans.com/CAST___CREW.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411074727/http://loveallhumans.com/CAST___CREW.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 11, 2013 |title=Cast & Crew |publisher=Loveallhumans.com |access-date=July 16, 2013 }}</ref>
In 2014, she performed at the George Fest in Los Angeles with the Flaming Lips honoring George Harrison. Other artists included Weird Al Yankovic, Brandon Flowers, Norah Jones, Dhani Harrison, Brian Wilson and more.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thebestfest.com/fests/george-fest-los-angeles/ |title=The Best Fest |first=Best |last=Fest |date=September 28, 2014 |access-date=February 2, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204194113/http://www.thebestfest.com/fests/george-fest-los-angeles/ |archive-date=February 4, 2015 }}</ref>
In 2014 she released music video cover of U2's Sunday Bloody Sunday directed by Nicholas Bruckman through Paste Magazine.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2014/06/catching-up-with-gingger-shankar-and-nicholas-bruc.html| title= Catching Up With Gingger Shankar and Nicholas Bruckman| first=Michael| last=Dunaway | date=June 14, 2014|access-date=June 14, 2014}}</ref>
==Discography== ===Original=== *2019: ''Article 15''
===Film scores=== * 2008: ''The Forbidden Kingdom'' * 2011: ''Circumstance'' * 2011: ''Homecoming Film'' * 2011: ''Bedouin'' * 2012: ''419'' * 2012: ''Himalaya Song'' – Collaboration with Shanghai Restoration Project * 2013: ''Dose of Reality'' * 2013: ''The Missing Tomb National Geographic'' * 2013: ''Monsoon Shootout'' * 2014: ''Girl, Adopted Documentary'' * 2014: ''Brahmin Bulls'' * 2014: ''Water & Power'' * 2014: ''Katiyabaaz'' Documentary * 2014: ''Teacher in a Box''- ITVS * 2016: ''AWOL'' * 2016: ''Six LA Love Stories'' * 2018: ''Heartbeats''
===Music albums=== * 2003: ''Enlightenment – L. Shankar, Zakir Hussain, Vikku Vinayakram'' * 2008: ''The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!'' – Saul Williams * 2010: ''Anywhere But Here'' – Solo EP
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == *[http://www.ginggershankar.com Official Website]
{{Shankar family}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shankar, Gingger}} Category:Living people Category:Singers from Los Angeles Category:Musicians from Los Angeles Category:American film score composers Category:American women film score composers Category:Carnatic instrumentalists Category:Tamil musicians Category:Kalakshetra Foundation alumni Category:Singer-songwriters from California Category:American musicians of Indian descent Category:American classical musicians of Indian descent Category:American people of Indian Tamil descent Category:Expatriate musicians in India Category:American expatriate musicians Category:American expatriates in India Category:21st-century American violinists Category:American women violinists Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:21st-century American classical composers Category:Shankar family