Suba Sankaran (she/her)

I have been a musician (voice, piano, percussion) for most of my life, gratefully growing up in a South Indian musical family in Toronto. My family afforded me the opportunity to study western classical music at a young age as well, then continuing to contemporary styles like jazz, pop and a cappella music. I eat, sleep and breathe music. Art and nature and communication, and the beauty within each, are like religion to me - giving me purpose, finding inner truth, connecting with the world, through which I can develop values of love, respect, harmony and empathy. 

In my life, I have had a lot of musical duties where I am performing, touring, leading, directing, producing, educating, etc., so I’m truly happy to be part of the Confluence Concerts team, where we work as an ensemble, sharing responsibilities, both musical and otherwise. And make no mistake, there is an abundance of talent and openness in this group, which is both awe-inspiring and humbling!

The voice knows no limits, and I’ve straddled both eastern and western music throughout my life. This is my hyphenated-Canadian experience, and it’s my hope that the music and collaborations I bring forward are relatable, relevant, accessible, thought-provoking and cutting-edge. No matter where your roots are, music demonstrates that there are no borders, and so I aim to connect the cultural dots and share my sheer joy of music-making.

Music is music is music. I’m not on a mission to specifically bring South Indian music to the fore — that’s just an unintended consequence and benefit of some of what I do! I want to share my identity through my musical experiences, the multiple genres I embrace, and via stories and songs. I like to think of each concert offering as an invitation for the audience to play in my sacred, artistic playground with me. A shared, human, raw, honest experience. My music doesn’t define who I am. Rather, I define the art and the music I make, and I profusely thank Confluence Concerts and Larry Beckwith for honouring this!

Kate PeerSuba Sankaran