
EDUCATION:
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS:
COURSES TAUGHT:
Sheela Bringi is a sacred music performer, recording artist, and educator. Her Indian vocals, soaring bansuri flute and raga harp have graced 50+ sacred chant and world albums, including the Grammy-nominated Bhakti Without Borders. Her work to bridge the musical worlds of India and America has been profiled by NBC News, NPR, Public Radio International, and others.
Sheela tours internationally and has collaborated with artists including Idan Raichel, Karsh Kale, DJ Drez, Jai Uttal, and many others. Past performances include the Angel City Jazz Festival (Los Angeles), Omega Institute Ecstatic Chant Retreat (Woodstock, NY), Sivananda Ashram Chant Retreat (Nassau, Bahamas), Esalen Institute (Big Sur, CA), Bali Spirit Festival, and others.
Further Music Education
Past teachers include Indian maestros Pandit G.S. Sachdev and Ustad Aashish Khan, and Western contemporary greats such as Fred Frith, Cecil Taylor and Meredith Monk. She currently studies Hindustani voice with Sri Subhashish Mukhopadhyay, one of the topmost exponents of the “Kotali Gharana” (a lineage of North Indian classical music).
Honors & Awards
Sheela’s Indian vocals, bansuri flute and harp have graced 30+ new age and world albums, including the recent Grammy-nominated “Bhakti Without Borders” (Madi Das). Her music can also be heard on numerous independent and major films & TV scores (including “Monkey Kingdom” from Disney Nature and “Mira Royal Detective” on Disney Plus). She has released two albums as a solo artist – “Shakti Sutra” (New Earth Records) and “Incantations” (White Swan). Her work to bridge the musical worlds of India and America has been profiled by NBC News, National Public Radio, Public Radio International, Yoga Journal Magazine, and others.
PUBLICATIONS:
Recent Scholarly Presentations
- Columbia University department of Ethnomusicology (guest lecture/demonstrations in “Music of South Asia” courses)
- “Improvisation: The Yoga of Spontaneity” (talks at Wanderlust Festivals in the US & Canada)
- Workshops, classes and immersions at yoga festivals, ashrams, retreats and Yoga Teacher Training programs around the world