Karishmeh Felfeli is a musician whose talent is so undeniable that it inspires everyone who encounters it. Her multi faceted musical personality as a classical pianist, pop/folk vocalist and music educator  is widely acclaimed. The young Persian-Indian is admired as much for her musicianship as for her exceptional charisma, and has followed a career path completely her own. Equally at home performing virtuoso piano music by Bach, Brahms and Rachmaninov as she is singing her own songs, and those by legendary artists such as The Beatles, The Kinks and Queen, Karishmeh Felfeli is renowned worldwide for breaking down barriers that exist between the various musical genres.  She regards the music of J.S. Bach and The Beatles as her greatest influences, and is also very influenced by electronic and dance music.

As a recital pianist, Ms Felfeli has performed in recital halls in India, England, Ireland, America and Canada including several solo performances at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, featuring Bach Keyboard Concerti along with works by Gibbons and Byrd, as well as "Of Songs and Sonnets", a recital on Early Vocal Music, and “Musicians of the Future” , a celebration of works by composers as diverse as Bach, Brahms, Granados and others. In collaborative cross-genre concerts, Ms Felfeli has recently performed (as pianist, vocalist, lecturer) at the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, Wexford Arts Center, Canadian Museum of Civilisation, Carleton University, National Concert Hall and Goethe Auditorium. At the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, Ms Felfeli presented a series of events focussing on the Canadian Pianist Glenn Gould, where she performed an electronic version of Bach's Concerto in D minor (with Ottawa musician Adam Saikaley), along with vocal music by Byrd, Gibbons, Petula Clarke and The Beatles.

Born in Poona, India of Persian Zoroastrian heritage, and a citizen of Ireland, Ms Felfeli's most significant musical experience was her encounter with a recording of a Bach concerto by Glenn Gould, a figure who remains the focus of her life.  She is Artistic Director of Sarabande - The Glenn Gould Project which is a classical music performance society, agency and concert project based in Dublin, Ireland.  It was originally conceived to provide performance opportunities for young musicians and raise awareness about music education. Sarabande-The Glenn Gould Project also serves as a performance project for collaborative music ideas, lecture-recitals and crossover concerts (electronic-classical, classical-pop, classical-traditional, classical-jazz).   While Karishmeh gained competitive success in India at a very young age, winning all the major music competitions in the country, and performing in the Tata Theatre at the National Centre for Performing Arts in Bombay by the age of twelve,she rejected the competition pursuit very early on, seeing it as ultimately uninspiring and anti-musical. Without compromising her technical and musical development as a musician, she decided to focus on more holistic music education.Karishmeh has established herself as an energetic and passionate performer, lecturer, and communicator whose message reaches music lovers of all ages.

2008-2009 sees Karishmeh Felfeli return to the studio to record an album of piano & vocal music including original compositions, as well as works by Bach, Byrd, Queen, The Beatles, Joni Mitchell and The Kinks. Concert performances include a series at the National Concert Hall, as well as at various pop/rock venues across Ireland. Following her performances at the OICMF, Ms Felfeli will return to Canada in 2009, with performances at Carleton University and The National Arts Center. Karishmeh Felfeli is also a multiple recepient of Culture Ireland's Grants for Artists outside of Ireland, and has presented and produced numerous radio documentaries, most recently for RTE Radio 1 Ireland.  She is also  involved in animal welfare,  mountaineering,  white water rafting and social work.  


Biography  valid  until  November 2008