A highly anticipated concert by Expo 2020 Dubai‘s female Firdaus Orchestra, featuring Grammy-nominated sitar player Anoushka Shankar, was preceded by news of famed Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar’s death on Sunday.
Shankar, whose late father Ravi Shankar was one of most respected sitar players in the world, paid tribute to Mangeshkar – considered a national treasure in India – before she took to the stage at Jubilee Park, calling her “one of the greatest artists the world has ever known”.
“Genuinely heartbroken to hear of the passing of our Nightingale Lata-ji. I was blessed to meet her through my father, who shared such a special musical bond with her,” Shankar posted on social media.
Firdaus Orchestra began the show by dedicating the night’s performance to Mangeshkar.
Especially created for Expo 2020 Dubai by Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman, Firdaus Orchestra features musicians from 23 nationalities from across the Arab world, with some as young as 15.
