Dynamic performer Shawn Mativetsky is considered one of Canada's leading ambassadors of the tabla, and is a pioneer in bridging the worlds of Western and Indian classical music. Called an “exceptional soloist” by critic Réjean Beaucage, WholeNote's Andrew Timar adds that “as a leading disciple of the renowned Pandit Sharda Sahai, he has serious street cred.” Shawn Mativetsky is highly sought-after as both performer and educator, and is active in the promotion of the tabla and North Indian classical music through lectures, workshops, and performances across Canada and internationally. Based in Montreal, Shawn teaches tabla and percussion at McGill University. His most recent album, Rivers, is a solo tabla album rooted in the rich traditions of the Benares style of tabla playing. As a practitioner of Indian classical music, Shawn regularly gives solo tabla performances, as well as accompanying kathak dance and instrumental artists. As an ensemble musician, Shawn Mativetsky performs with contemporary pianist Xenia Pestova, violinist Parmela Attariwala's cross-cultural Attar Project, Indo-fusion group Ragleela, the improv trio Of Sound Mind and Body, with Tim Brady and Helmut Lipsky, and percussion group Ensemble Duniya.