From three divergent cultures come three master musicians, known throughout the world for instrumental mastery and important contributions to their respective forms.

Flamenco guitarist Paco Peña was born in Córdoba, Spain, learned to play from his brother at age 6 and made his first professional appearance at 12. He began travelling throughout Spain with a government-sponsored folk music and dance program, and later moved to London in the late 1960s to become a soloist. He soon found himself sharing concerts with artists such as Jimi Hendrix, and made his solo debut at Wigmore Hall in 1967. Peña was soon touring the world both as a soloist and an accompanist with performances at Carnegie Hall in New York City, the Royal Albert Hall in London and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. He later founded the world's first university course on flamenco guitar, at the Rotterdam conservatory of music.  He also created the Centro Flamenco Paco Peña in Córdoba, and was responsible for the founding of the now-celebrated annual Córdoba Guitar Festival, which has seen appearances by other Flamenco greats such as Manolo Sanlúcar and Paco de Lucía.  In 1997 Peña was named Oficial de la Cruz de la Orden del Mérito Civil by King Juan Carlos of Spain. His most famous compositions include his Misa Flamenca, a Flamenco Mass and Requiem for the Earth, both of which have received great critical acclaim. Read more...

Wu Man is a Chinese Pipa player and composer who studied at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. She became the first recipient of a master's degree in pipa and won the first prize in the 1989 National Music Performance Competition. She performs with Chinese traditional music groups but is also known for her interpretation of contemporary compositions, as well as her work in jazz and cross-cultural music. Many composers (including Terry Riley, Philip Glass, Lou Harrison, Tan Dun, Bright Sheng, Chen Yi, Zhou Long, Gabriela Lena Frank, Bun-Ching Lam, Evan Ziporyn, and others) have composed new works for her.  Wu has performed and recorded with the Kronos Quartet, Henry Threadgill, Liu Sola, Martin Simpson, and Yo-Yo Ma's The Silk Road Ensemble. In 1999, she became the first Chinese musician to play at the White House.[1] She played there, together with Yo-Yo Ma, in honor of Zhu Rongji, the premier of China. Also in 1999, Wu was chosen by Ma to receive the Glenn Gould Prize. The award consisted of a bronze statue of famous Canadian pianist Gould himself. Read more...

Hariprasad Chaurasia started learning vocal music from his neighbor, Pandit Rajaram at the age of 15. Later, he switched to playing the flute under the tutelage of Pandit Bholanath of Varanasi. He is considered a rare combination of innovator and traditionalist. He has expanded the expressive possibilities of the bansuri through his masterful blowing technique.  Apart from classical music, he has made a mark as a Hindi language film music director along with Pt. Shivkumar Sharma, forming a group called Shiv-Hari. He has also collaborated with various world musicians in experimental cross-cultural performances, including the fusion group Shakti.  He serves as the Artistic Director of the World Music Department at the Rotterdam Music Conservatory in the Netherlands.  He has collaborated with several western musicians, including John McLaughlin and Jan Garbarek, and has also composed music for a number of Indian films. He has performed throughout the world winning acclaim from varied audiences and fellow musicians including Yehudi Menuhin and Jean-Pierre Rampal. Read more...

For a limited time take 20% off when you buy any of the albums featured in this series.