Jeanette Bernal-Singh – Violin

Mohamed Assani – Sitar

Mohamed Assani – Composer

Accompanists:

Ustad Shahbaz Hussain – Tabla

Adham Shaikh – Producer

Serendipity

Jeanette Bernal-Singh:

Mexican-born violinist Jeanette Bernal-Singh has won many national and international awards and competitions. At age 17, she won the concerto competition to solo and tour with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. She was a prizewinner at the Henryk Szerying International Violin Competition, where she was awarded a violin, and her soloist experiences have included appearances with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, St. Cecilia Chamber Orchestra and West Coast Symphony Orchestra.

Her violin has taken her all over North America, Europe, South East Asia, India and Australia. Jeanette has recorded for broadcasts and CDs of Indian, Mexican, and Chinese music. She was a member of the Malaysia Philharmonic in the year 2004, with whom she toured Australia, performing memorably at Sydney’s Opera House. As an orchestral musician, Jeanette has worked with many of today’s leading conductors, such as Kurt Mazur, Sir George Solti, Valery Gergiev and Mstislav Rostropovich.

Having begun violin at the age of three with her mother Joan King and step-father, Pablo Diemecke, her teachers include Gerald Stanick, Paul Biss, Franco Gulli, Stanley Ritchie, Stanislaw Kawalla and Sidney Humphreys. Jeanette holds a master’s degree, attained with honours, from the University of British Columbia.

Mohamed Assani:

Mohamed Assani is a sitarist and composer, known for his genre-defying approach to music-making. Trained in both Indian/Pakistani and Western Classical music, his music-making seamlessly draws from different genres and cultures with depth and authenticity. According to the Georgia Straight Newspaper, “Assani is both a musician who’s deeply rooted in the artistic traditions of South Asia and a one-of-a-kind innovator who’s bent on ensuring that those age-old forms will survive and grow in the modern era.”

Mohamed has brought his sitar to new audiences across the globe through innovative collaborations. Career highlights include co-writing a sitar concerto that was performed by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, performing for his Royal Highness the Aga Khan and being invited to teach at London’s prestigious Royal Academy of Music.

Mohamed currently teaches Indian Music at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School of Music. He is a leader in his field – forging new paths for his music to develop and grow, while remaining committed to the rich roots from which his tradition has emerged. He lives in Vancouver, Canada.