Chinmaya Dunster

Chinmaya Dunster is an English-born Sarod player whose compositions incorporate elements of Celtic and Hindustani music. He is an active environmentalist and performs concerts to foster awareness for saving ecosystems and wildlife.

Biography

Born in 1954 in Kent, England, Chinmaya Dunster^[1] (né Stephen Dunster) attended Art college in Canterbury and pursued an independent study of classical guitar and composition throughout his adolescence and early twenties.^{[verification needed]}

After finishing his formal education in the late seventies, Dunster left Europe and traveled through Afghanistan into northern India, where he became acquainted with classical Indian music and instrumentation. During spring break of his last year of art school in 1979, he flew off to Dehli to meet with his future wife, Diana. They travelled to the Himalayas, hiked and even went to Dharmasala. In the north Indian city of New Delhi, he attended an all-night performance of the sarod master, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and subsequently spent the next thirteen years engaged in the study of the sarod both in London and India.^[1]

Once he finished his Art college training, he spent a year in Canada with his wife Diana. Before returning to England they travelled through the East, first to Japan, then to Thailand and Sri Lanka.^{[verification needed]}

As Hindustani musical tradition dictates that knowledge of technique and tradition is generally handed down from father to son, Dunster was initially challenged to find a teacher. Eventually he was to find a teacher in Pune, India, with Pandit Shekhar Borkar,^[2] a mainly self-taught sarod master.^{[verification needed]}

In 1990, Dunster founded the east-west fusion band with Prem Joshua, Terra Incognita and released two albums under that name through New Earth Records.^[1] After several solo projects, Dunster then founded the Celtic Ragas Band, whose self-titled 2001 release attracted the favor of former Beatles member Sir Paul McCartney, who then invited Dunster to perform at his 2002 wedding to Heather Mills in Ireland.^[2][3]

The following year he and the Celtic Ragas Band performed a CONCERT FOR INDIA'S ENVIRONMENT at BVIEER, Pune, released as the live CD 'Fragrance of the East' on New Earth Records.^[1][4] The video of this concert, blended with interviews with environmentalists, Indian school children reading their own poems on nature and stunning footage of the Indian wilderness, is available for free viewing at www.chinmaya-dunster.com/concert-environment-2.php^[5]

In February 2010, Chinmaya Dunster and the Celtic Ragas Band performed the Green Ragas Concert at British Council, New Delhi (India) during the TERI YUVA Meet for environmental awareness.^[3]

Chinmaya Dunster currently resides in Goa (India)^[1] with his parnter Naveena Goffer and their daughter Koyal Goffer-Dunster.^[2]

Discography

• Terra Incognita (January 1, 1991). No Goal But The Path. Köln, Germany: Tao Music. ASIN B0021H4EK2. OCLC 222031825. 
• Dunster, Chinmaya (May 15, 1995). Feng Shui Part 1. Tucson, AZ: Meistersinger Music. ASIN B00004SCRI. OCLC 40576938. 
• Dunster, Chinmaya (August 20, 1995). Feng Shui Part 2. Tucson, AZ: Meistersinger Music. ASIN B00004SCRJ. OCLC 40577104. 
• Dunster, Chinmaya (March 15, 1996). Lands of the Dawn. Forchheim: Meistersinger Musik. ASIN B000008SNF. OCLC 163140477. 
• Terra Incognita (May 7, 1996). Tribal Gathering. Santa Fe, NM: New Earth Records. ASIN B0000009CG. 
• Dunster, Chinmaya; Jamie, Vidroha (November 24, 1998). Celtic Raga. Santa Fe, NM: New Earth Records. ASIN B00000G435. OCLC 658939743. 
• Dunster, Chinmaya (December 19, 2000). Feng shui : the eight fold path. Santa Fe, NM: New Earth Records. ASIN B0000521Y3. OCLC 46831187. 
• Dunster, Chinmaya (September 4, 2001). Yoga: On Sacred Ground. Santa Fe, NM: New Earth Records. ASIN B00005NT43. ISBN 9783933712318. OCLC 48849654. 
• Dunster, Chinmaya (September 3, 2002). Sacred Temples of India. Santa Fe, NM: New Earth Records. ASIN B00006EXDY. OCLC 51707421. 
• Dunster, Chinmaya; Celtic Ragas Band (October 7, 2003). Karma Circles. Santa Fe, NM: New Earth Records. ASIN B0000D1FDO. OCLC 70688794. 
• Dunster, Chinmaya; Celtic Ragas Band (February 1, 2005). Fragrance of the East: Live in India. Santa Fe, NM: New Earth Records. ASIN B00069MQ6G. OCLC B00069MQ6G. 
• Dunster, Chinmaya; Kumar, Niladri (October 11, 2005). Yoga Lounge. Santa Fe, NM: New Earth Records. ASIN B000B9EYAC. OCLC 68136146. 
• Dunster, Chinmaya (April 10, 2007). Buddha Moon. Santa Fe, NM: New Earth Records. ASIN B000NVKY8Y. OCLC 148071536. 
• Dunster, Chinmaya (October 13, 2009). Land of Buddhas. Santa Fe, NM: New Earth Records. ASIN B002L9PQCU. OCLC 437312799. 
• Dunster, Chinmaya (March 16, 2010). Ragas Relax. Santa Fe, NM: New Earth Records. ASIN B0033HKCC8. OCLC 500831696. 

See also

• Celtic music
• New Age music
• Fusion music

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Chinmaya Dunster". Visionary music to enhance wellbeing. Santa Fe, NM: New Earth Records. https://www.newearthrecords.com/web/pc/Chinmaya2_NER.asp. Retrieved February 5, 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Dunster, Chinmaya. "Bio of Chinmaya Dunster ~ musician, composer, sarod player". Chinmaya Dunster ~ music and films. punyaweb.net. http://www.chinmaya-dunster.com/chinmaya-dunster.php. Retrieved February 5, 2011. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Mosca, Michel (January 15, 2010). "Music and Film for India's Environment - Chinmaya Dunster". Switzerland: cleanteam's net work. http://www.cleanteam.ch/blog/green-ragas-concert. Retrieved February 5, 2011. 
4. ^ "Chinmaya Dunster: Making the film Concert For India's Environment". Osho RebelliousSpirit.com. http://www.rebelliousspirit.com/osho-webzine/113. Retrieved February 5, 2011. 
5. ^ Dunster, Chinmaya. "Concert for India’s Environment DVD ~ Free music video download". Chinmaya Dunster ~ music and films. punyaweb.net. http://www.chinmaya-dunster.com/concert-environment-2.php. Retrieved February 5, 2011. 

External links

• Dunster, Chinmaya. "Chinmaya Dunster ~ music and films". punyaweb.net. http://www.chinmaya-dunster.com/. Retrieved February 5, 2011. 
• Dunster, Chinmaya. "YouTube - chinmayadunster's Channel". San Bruno, CA: YouTube, LLC. http://www.youtube.com/user/chinmayadunster. Retrieved February 5, 2011. 

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Name	Dunster, Chinmaya
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Date of birth	1954
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