SHIVANOVA is one of the West’s leading cross-cultural ensembles set -up by composer Priti Paintal and grounded in Indian and European styles, widely admired and enjoyed for the energy and flair of its improvising. It tours nationally and internationally, playing in London at the Jazz Café and the South Bank Centre, and has released a catalogue of CDs, most recently Secret Chants which has been acclaimed this year in the national and music media.

Founded over twenty years ago, ShivaNova has been constantly developing thanks to its improvising musicians and its founder’s vision of a creative force that went beyond everyday fusion. During the 1990s dance beats went into the mix – an offshoot called SugarNova had a hit in the club charts with Over and Over.

In recent seasons ShivaNova has toured with dancers and visual projections, and has also created cross-artform programmes like Bananas which featured the Gandini Juggling group as well as carnival artists, storytellers and visual artists.

ShivaNova has commissioned many composers for its own ensemble including Nicola Lefanu, Gary Carpenter, Anthony Gilbert, David Lumsdaine, Helen Lee, Eleanor Alberga, and electro-acoustic composers - Tim Souster, Simon Emmerson. Some of these works have been recorded on commercial CDs including Simon Emmerson's and Tim Souster's. The spread of new work goes beyond composed pieces. Jazz musicians Orphy Robinson, Jean Touissant, Rowland Sutherland, and Robert Mitchell have worked with their musicians in new pieces as soloists with other classical musicians (including Alex Balanescu, Helen Crayford, Nancy Ruffer, Neil Heyde, Clive Williamson, Ros Stephen) and a host of world musicians (including Dharambir Singh, Sarwar Sabri, Chartwell Dutiro, Tunde Jegede, Li Lisha, Xu Pingzing, M Yogeswaran, Alex Housego). It has been a performance ensemble since 1988 and has promoted and organised a range of concerts, performance and education projects. It works regularly also in France with the JUPO music organisation in Le Havre which is an ongoing funding partner.

In 2007 it set up EQUATOR as a promotional wing and has promoted over 40 concerts in the last 3 three years and funded over 250 professional musicians to take part. It has received renewed funding from the Arts Council for its work in Kent and London and at the moment is committed to organising events until summer 2013. From Spring 2011 it will be promoting and Equator series at RFH as well as an Equator Women of the World (WOW) Festival at Kings Place and RichMix.

ShivaNova has an admired education programme with workshops in Asian classical and folk music, vocal improvisation, Asian dance and singing, DJing and mixing. In a range of different educational residencies around the country, the most significant is the 'Girls Only Global Orchestra' project currently under way in Gravesend, Greenwich and Lewisham, Birmingham and Nottingham.

Since 2007 ShivaNova has expanded into concert promotion, launching the successful EQUATOR (www.equatorfestival.com) series of top world music performers in Kent – Ashford, Folkesotne, Maidstone, and London). In 2009 it launched the Equator Choir Competition for schools and amateur choirs from Kent, and in October 2010 it launches the Equator Music Competition for Kent. It is also working with Kent Music Service to promote a high quality international classical and contemporary music series in Kent. ShivaNova and Equator are supported by Arts Council England, Kent County Council, Ashford Borough Council, Shepway District Council, Maidstone Borough Council, Hazlitt Theatre, Quarterhouse, and RichMix.

ShivaNova's recent album – Secret Chants

released Spring 2009 -distributed by Universal

The album has been reviewed in major national publications including The
Times, Guardian, Financial Times, Evening Standard, Songlines, JazzWise, and has been featured on Radio 4 Womans’ Hour.

ShivaNova's main objective is to create new work (musical and cross-artform) from diverse classical traditions, to widen the audience for its own work and for these traditions, and to inspire new ways of perceiving and listening.