Rekesh Chauhan BEM is a multi-award winning British Indian pianist and composer. His unique blend of Eastern and Western musical styles on the piano and in his compositions has earned him widespread acclaim.
Chauhan performs across the globe, with notable performances including the Royal Albert Hall, Birmingham's Symphony Hall, Southbank Centre (Queen Elizabeth Hall and Royal Festival Hall), Bridgewater Hall, Cadogan Hall, and London's V&A Museum.
The UK Prime Minister has personally commended Chauhan for his award-winning arts production supporting the British Asian Trust charity. In 2022, he was appointed as an Ambassador of Future Talent, a music charity established by HRH The Duchess of Kent and Nicholas Robinson.
In 2023, Chauhan was awarded a British Empire Medal in His Majesty The King's Birthday Honours for his contributions to music.
Chauhan has received numerous awards, including the NIAA Young Musician of the Year 2018, presented at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. In 2019, he was awarded Alumnus of the Year by the University of Leicester and he is also the recipient of the Eastern Electronica Prize.
He has collaborated with Grammy and Oscar award-winning artists and continues to perform concerts that push the boundaries of music through his distinctive sound.
His knack for amalgamating both eastern and western styles has brought him much recognition and glittering invites to appear in concerts all over: including, Royal Albert Hall, Birmingham's Symphony Hall, Southbank Centre (venues in Queen Elizabeth Hall and Royal Festival Hall), Bridgewater Hall, Cadogan Hall and London's V&A museum to name just a handful of prestigious venues. Having begun his musical journey supporting artists including MOBO award-winning jazz pianist Zoe Rahman he went on to collaborate with Mercury Prize award-winner Talvin Singh OBE at Ronnie Scotts - within a few years he was a featured introducing artist on national BBC radio, performed with his own ensembles in arenas to over 60,000 people and scooped the Eastern Electronic Festival prize. With all of these feathers under his cap before reaching his twenties it is hardly surprising the young talent is today a highly sought after performer.
Rekesh's latest release 'Avartan' in 2018 earned him a no.2 chart position on the iTunes World Music Charts. His critically acclaimed debut album, 'Beyond Roots', released under Milapfest in 2015, won him spectacular praise from tabloid press to prime-time radio play. The album followed a sold-out nationwide tour culminating in an exclusive live session for BBC Radio London. Beyond Roots features celebrated BBC Symphony Orchestra violinist virtuoso, John Garner, a regular collaborator with Chauhan.
As a 4th generation member of the Indian diaspora, his influence is considered pivotal in shaping and representing British Indians. Rekesh holds a first class honours degree in Economics and is a published book co-author. He was selected as a 'rising millennial' to provide advisory assistance to the Government of India to strengthen bilateral relations and shape policy. He is also regularly invited as a guest columnist for newspapers and magazines. Rekesh was invited by the University of Oxford on a featured research production as part of the university's Hilary Term exploring the research and amalgamation of Hindustani Classical Music with other cultures. In 2018 Rekesh was selected as one of the 35 under 35 India-UK Young Leaders.
His collaborations range from Nobel Peace Prize performer, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan to Shankar Mahadevan. Keeping to his roots, as a harmonium (Indian hand pump organ) performer, Rekesh is often seen with the most respected names of Indian classical music earning him a glittering credit list of performances including Pandits Rajan and Sajan Mishra. With his audiences ranging from Bollywood A-lister Govinda to invitations from around including being invited by the Prime Minister of the UK to 10 Downing Street, it is hardly surprising that the versatility of Chauhan's talent is a testament to his sound.
His style defines the reverberation amongst the new generation of listeners of contemporary world music as his music mellifluously amalgamates both eastern and western flavours.
Rekesh Chauhan at Wigmore Hall, London
"Music of Just Absolute Beauty."
"Chauhan will draw on Indian Classical ragas to offer a meditation on calm and rest"
"I would like to congratulate the artists Rekesh Chauhan...for their tremendous efforts"
Rekesh is a proud Ambassador of Future Talent a music charity which supports disadvantaged young people providing them with life changing opportunities.
He is a supporter of the British Asian Trust in which he led a campaign for The King's charity reaching over 1.2 million people to raise awareness of mental health.
His collaborations also include Prince's Trust, Shout (Royal Foundation) and Papyrus - where he created a production in partnership with the Randal Foundation to raise awareness of loneliness and isolation.
Rekesh delivers masterclasses internationally. To book a masterclass in your city, kindly visit the provided link. Should your request be successful, your organisation will be contacted directly.