Music and the Future of AAPI Artists

Do you have a fond memory of working in collaboration with A4 or that came about as a result of your work with A4 that you'd like to share?

The personal relationships that I built, with members of A4, as well as Rob Rusli, the other co-winner of the Van Lier Fellowship, were probably the most memorable take away from the award. In addition to the personal relationship, I was able to use the award from the fellowship to record my debut trio record, Tinte Baja, which is a take on traditional Nepali melodies played in a saxophone trio.

What are your future hopes for your practice and AAPIs in music?

I hope to continue to challenge myself with new material in composition, and to continue to hone my craft as a saxophonist and bansuri player. Even since I won the Van Lier award in 2016, I have seen many other young artists step up and tackle similar sonic worlds, which is always inspiring. I think the future is really bright for what AAPI’s can accomplish in the art world.

What are your hopes for A4 in the future?

I think further encouragement with regards to representation of the vastness of the AAPI community is really important. I also hope the A4 can continue to support developing artists, and bridge the connections from their own histories and cultures with a new global voice and identity. I hope A4 continues to highlight the tapestry that is the AAPI artistic community.

Tell us about your practice as an artist.

My own practice as an artist takes many shapes. Before I ever played music, I was an avid visual artist, drawing and painting both scenes from nature, as well as my own heroes. As both a saxophonist and bansuri flute player, I am lucky to stand at the intersection of profound musical traditions. My musical roots lie in jazz and improvisation, but my continued pursuit of myself later led me to the bansuri flute and a deep study of Nepali folk and Indian classical music. This journey of self-discovery has allowed me to work with a myriad of world-class artists, and perform and teach around the world.

How did your participation with A4 impact your career?

Winning the Van Lier Fellowship really opened up a lot of doors for me as an artist. First off, it gave me a huge amount of confidence with what I was doing at the time. It made me feel as though my work was valued by my peers, and that gave me a lot of strength to keep pursuing my voice and the discovery of myself. It was a kick-start for the work that I continue to pursue to this day.

To learn more about Pawan Benjamin's music, click here;
http://pawanbenjamin.com/