Born Name
Ambrose Avril Tucker
Nick Name
Shankar
Sun Sign
Leo
Born Place
Massachusetts, United States
Residence
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Nationality
Education
Shankar Tucker went to the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School. In 2006, he managed to secure admission at the New England Conservatory of Music on a scholarship. He graduated from the conservatory in 2010 with a Bachelor of Clarinet Classical Performance, Classical Music.
In the summer of 2010, the legendary Hindustani flute player Hariprasad Chaurasia accepted him as his student at his Vrindaban Gurukul in Mumbai.
Occupation
Composer, Clarinetist
Family
- Father – William G. Tucker (Sculptor)
- Mother – Pamela “Kamini” Avril (Artist)
- Siblings – Akshaya Avril Tucker (Younger Sister) (Trained Indian Classical dancer and cellist)
Genre
Hindustani Classical, Indian Fusion, Alternative, Jazz, World
Instruments
Clarinet, Piano, Tabla, Kanjira, Guitar
Labels
He has released most of his music independently.
Build
Slim
Height
5 ft 10 in or 178 cm
Weight
70 kg or 154 lbs
Girlfriend / Spouse
Shankar Tucker has dated –
- Vidya Vox – Shankar is reported to be in a relationship with singer and social media star Vidya Vox. He has been a bit protective of his relationship, therefore, rarely speaks about it, even on social media. Although the exact start date of their relationship isn’t known, he first posted her pictures on his Instagram in 2014. He has collaborated with her on several musical projects.
Race / Ethnicity
White
Hair Color
Blonde
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Smile
- Boy next door looks
Religion
His family has been an ardent follower of Hindu spiritual guru Mata Amritanandamayi Devi known as Amma amongst her followers. It was she who named him as Shankar when he was a child.
As an adult, he has traveled with her as a part of her Bhajan ensemble.
Best Known For
- Having shared stage with renowned classical music artists such as Hariprasad Chaurasia, Raghu Dixit, and Zakir Hussain.
- The popularity of his internet music video series collectively known as The ShrutiBox. He has collaborated with young Hindustani and Carnatic instrumentalists and vocalists such as Vandana Iyer, Nirali Kartik, Mahesh Vinayakram, B. Shree Sundarkumar, and Vidya Iyer for the music recordings.
First Album
In 2012, he released his debut studio album, The Shrutibox.
Shankar Tucker Favorite Things
- Influences – Zakir Hussain, John McLaughlin, Vikku Vinayakram, Hariprasad Chaurasia
Source – Wikipedia
Shankar Tucker Facts
- When he was very young, he used to play the saxophone. However, his parents and grandfather managed to influence him to take up the clarinet.
- He started taking classical clarinet training at the age of 10.
- While studying in the conservatory, he was performing Western Classical Music at prestigious venues such as Jordan Hall and Symphony Hall, Boston.
- After he graduated from the conservatory, he was given a grant by the Frank Huntington Beebe Fund so that he could learn to add clarinet to the Indian Classical music performance.
- In 2012, his ensemble was invited to perform in the Diwali function hosted at the White House by the US Vice-President Joe Biden.
- He has been invited to speak at the TEDxGateway conference in Mumbai and TEDxCEG in Chennai.
- Visit his official website @ shankartucker.com.
- Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SoundCloud, and YouTube.
Featured Image by Shankar Tucker / Instagram
