Vio Meena (Violette Grinnaert Soni) started playing the violin in 2004 in Scotland, where she lived at the time. Two years later she went to India to discover the country of yoga, which she had been practicing for a few years. She ended up living in India for 11 years.
In Varanasi (Benares), she met her master Pt Sukhdev Prasad Mishra, in 2008 and was seduced by the position and technique of the Hindustani violin, as well as the “guru-shishya parampara” (master-disciple tradition). For the next 7 years, she studied with him in total cultural immersion, alongside the other Indian students. In parallel, Violette spent four years at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) studying Hindi language and violin.
For two years, Vio also learned Bundeli folk music from the Bundelkhand region in Khajuraho, and she has studied with Saskia Rao, world-renowned creator of the Indian cello in New Delhi.
Today, she is based in France, where she is keeping her practice up.
Vio’s deep immersion in Indian culture and language have given her a considerable advantage in understanding Indian music, which has allowed her to acquire a completely Indian sound.
Musical Background
I was born and grew up in France, but I lived abroad for over 20 year, mostly in the UK (9 years) and in India (11 years).
In the West
From age 6 to 14 I learned the piano. I didn’t touch an instrument for over 10 years after that, but I still had a passion and an ear for music. I listened to (various types of western underground or independent) music all the time, and for five years I was a ‘goth’ DJ. But I soon realised that if I loved music so much it wasn’t enough to listen to it, I had to learn an instrument again. Mainly inspired by Tindersticks and later Matt Howden, it had to be the violin. In Scotland at the time (October 2004) I fell in love with a gorgeous red fiddle made by Steve Burnett and started learning Western violin on my own.
In August 2005 I came to North India for the first time, initially because of yoga. I stayed in India for a month and loved it so much that I knew I would come back again for a long time.
Back in Scotland I started taking violin lessons once a month, and within a year I started playing simple duets with other violinist friends. At the end of November 2007 I came back to India for an ‘unlimited’ amount of time… Initially I wanted to learn Hindi, yoga, ayurveda, and teach English to children. I knew nothing about Indian classical music at the time but I travelled with my violin so I could still practise it. It was my friend and ‘sound architect’ Michael Northam who encouraged me to learn Indian violin and introduced me to Pt. Sukhdev Prasad Mishra from Varanasi (Banaras). I wasn’t sure I wanted to embark on such an endless journey as Indian classical music, bit I started taking classes with Pt. Sukhdev Mishra in April 2008…
Indian (Hindoustani) violin in Banaras
At first I didn’t actually appreciate Indian music much, but I loved the Indian sitting position and the new sliding technique of Hindustani violin. Most especially I loved my new teacher, and I realised how lucky I was to learn from a traditional master from such an ancient and holy city as Banaras! I also enjoyed the closer connection which exists between Indian teacher and student and going to classes every single day. Gradually I started to understand Indian classical music, and with understanding grew love and devotion.
After a year in India I went back to Europe, but I returned in 2009 to carry on learning Indian violin and I enrolled on a two-year Hindi program at Banaras Hindu University (BHU).
Since 2010, I have been performing with Pt. Sukhdev Mishra in various cities of north India, including Varanasi and Shakti Nagar (UP), Haldwani, Rajnagar and Rishikesh (UK), Khajuraho and Jabalpur (MP). In Varanasi I have performed solo, including at Subah-e-Banaras along the holy river Ganges (December 2014).
‘Bundeli’ music in Khajuraho
From 2012 to 2014 I learnt Bundeli devotional and folk music in Khajuraho from Shri Jayram Trivedi from the Raja Balvant Singh Sangeet Mahavidyalaya. During that period, I performed with Trivedi and his pupils in Khajuraho for various festivals such as Navratri, Makar Sankranti, Republic Day, and Independence Day. I have also worked and performed with Bundeli folk singer and Kathak dancer Awantika Dubey.
Recently
In 2015 I took some violin lessons with Delhi-based Indian cellist Saskia Rao-de Haas, and I became very interested in her Sangeet4All foundation, which is devoted to creating the first Indian music curriculum for young learners in India. In 2016 I became a mother, which has slowed down my violin career, but I am slowly resuming the beautiful musical adventure. Since then I played at Subah-e-Banaras in Varanasi again (January 2019) and I made an intervention at Prakriti in Delhi before relocating to France in April 2019.
I am continuing my practice in Lille.
viomeena.com 