VIGNESH SHANKAR

Vignesh Shankar is a guitarist and plays the traditional South Indian Carnatic classical music as well as Jazz and Contemporary music. Born and raised in Chennai, India, Vignesh has built a reputation as a distinctive voice on the guitar, bringing depth, nuance, and cross-cultural fluency to every performance.

A regular performer in Chennai's prestigious Margazhi music season, Vignesh has graced the stages of renowned sabhas earning recognition among the most discerning audiences in the Carnatic world. His performance career spans India, the United States, and New Zealand, where he has led his own ensembles and collaborated with leading classical and jazz musicians alike.Vignesh has released two Carnatic guitar albums — Soulful Strings (2021) and Bagayanayya (2022) — both recorded in Chennai with some of the most respected musicians in the Carnatic tradition. The albums reflect his deep commitment to the music while showcasing his singular voice as a guitarist within it.

On the jazz side, Vignesh is equally at home. His collaborations with internationally recognized jazz musicians have allowed him to weave together diverse musical influences, and his original compositions reflect a rare fluency in both idioms. In 2024, he was honored with the Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award by the Presser Foundation, in recognition of his excellence in jazz studies. During his undergraduate years, Vignesh held the guitar chair in the jazz ensemble through numerous performances and festivals. He has also shared the stage with renowned artists including percussionist Vikku Vinayakaram, jazz musician Jose Valentino, and composer Indradeep Ghosh, among others.

Vignesh holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a  Master of Music in Improvisation from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, where he has also been a funded researcher — his work on the "Applications of South Indian Carnatic music in Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation" has been supported by the University of Michigan's World Performance Studies program. As an educator, Vignesh has taught Carnatic and jazz guitar to many students, mentoring them in both traditions.