Andrew Shantz is an improvising musician with his roots in jazz piano and branches in North Indian (Hindustani) classical music for over 15 years. After earning a degree with honors from the internationally renowned jazz department at William Paterson University and spending several years as an active jazz pianist, Andrew became interested in how other musical traditions approach improvisation and traveled to Kolkata, India to begin studies of Hindustani vocal music in 2008. He began learning in the traditional manner under Smt. Madhumita Saha with special guidance from tabla maestro Pt. Samar Saha. Andrew continued his studies in the US with his teachers and traveled to Kolkata again in 2010 and 2012. In 2014 Andrew began studying pure classical khayal gayaki under Pt. Sanjoy Banerjee in the US and Kolkata while continuing to study light classical genres under his Guruma.
Andrew has reached a professional level as a Hindustani vocalist and gave his first professional performances in Kolkata and Sahibganj, Jharkhand in 2019. He has performed widely in New York and New Jersey as well as Pennsylvania both as a vocal soloist and on occassion as harmonium accompanist to many prominent tabla players such as Pt. Samar Saha, Pt. Swapan Chaudhury, and Pt. Ramdas Palsule. In 2017 he won the Marthi Vishwa Swaradhara vocal competition. His other awards include the 2016 Tapati Basu Roy Charitable Trust Scholarship and the 2015 Chhandayan Student Scholarship. He has also taught Hindustani music extensively since 2012 and from 2011 - 2020 he was co-owner of the Denville Music Academy in NJ. He has given workshops and presentations at William Paterson University, Drew University, The School for Improvisational Music, Salon NYC, and in Paterson, NJ Public schools via the Paterson Music Project.
In 2018 and again in 2019, Andrew received the NJ State Council on the Arts Folk Arts Apprenticeship award to fund his studies with Pt. Sanjoy Banerjee. He also received the NJSCA Arts Project Support Grant on behalf of Ananda Mandir - a temple and Indian cultural organization - to produce a full-day festival of Hindustani and Carnatic (South Indian) classical music and dance in 2019. In 2017 Andrew received an Action Grant from Humanities New York on behalf of Brooklyn Raga Massive to help fund the 24-hour music festival Ragas Live and include a public dialogue on the rewards and challenges of learning traditional art forms far from their place of origin.
Currently Andrew continues to study voice and serves as the secretary and a faculty member for Suromurchana US, the American chapter of the Suromurchhana cultural organization established in Kolkata by his guru’s gurus: Late Sangeet Vidushi Malabika Kanan and Late Pt. A Kanan. Suromurchhana is a very active promoter of Indian classical arts in India and the US with a large and growing student base across India and the US. The organization also produces major concerts multiple times per year in Kolkata and the New York area.
Outside of music, Andrew is an avid surfer and film enthusiast.
Smt. Madhumita Saha
Pt. Samar Saha
Pt. Sanjoy Banerjee
Awards and Recognition:
2019 New Jersey State Council on the Arts Folk Arts Apprenticeship
2018 New Jersey State Council on the Arts Folk Arts Apprenticeship
2017 Winner Marathi Vishwa Swaradhara Vocal Competition Adult Category
2016 Tapati Basu Roy Charitable Trust Scholarship
2015 Chhandayan Student Scholarship
