Where she's been

With experience in genres ranging from Jazz to Classical to Rock to Indian music to Reggae to Afro-Cuban Armenian Salsa – and her original music - Manisha has worked with musicians such as pianist Vince Evans (Luther Vandross, Dianne Reeves), percussionist Jerry Leake (Ali Akbar Khan, Natraj), bassist Eli Magen (Israeli Philharmonic), drummer Alison Miller (Sheila Jordan, Norah Jones), plus guitarists Kevin Barry (Mary Chapin Carpenter, Paula Cole) & Prasanna (Joe Lovano, Hari Prasad Chaurasia), and multi-instrumentalist Akili Jamal Haynes (Lenny Kravitz, Roberta Flack). Following the release of Peace in Progress, her shows have garnered audiences in numerous cities in the US, as well as in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and London.

Her key inspiration is her mother, Shirish, who to this day perpetually sings around the house. In addition to singing, Shirish also choreographed dances at events hosted by the Indian communities in southern Virginia, where Manisha spent her formative years. Influenced by her mother's passions, Manisha started singing at age 6 and began writing songs, poems, and music at age 11, just as she embarked on classical piano studies and participating in school choirs. A soprano, Manisha grew up performing in the Western tradition, including first runner-up placement in the state-level forensics competition (serious poetry reading) and participation in the Virginia All-State Chorus and the Governor's School for the Arts (in theatre), coupled with local appearances in the Indian vein (singing Hindi film songs), sometimes accompanied by her father on tabla. On many occasions, she would be asked by adults to participate in the night-time Indian music jam sessions that would evolve after a dinner party at someone's home. At age 16, she won the talent award in her division of the Martinsville-Henry County Junior Miss Scholarship Program for her solo piano/vocal performance of her original song, Another Chance.

Soon after college, Manisha became a songwriter, founding member, and lead singer with the rock band Distraction in the Washington, DC- area, appearing at The Bayou, Heaven (and Hell), and Bad Habits Grill. After leaving Distraction, she made a guest appearance on the band's CD of original work, Colored Glass Canopy. Also, while in DC, she performed briefly with the Accidentals, a co-ed cappella group. Her experience with the choir at the All Souls Unitarian Church afforded her the opportunity to sing a solo in 'We Are ...' and rehearse with the song's composer, Ysaye Maria Barnwell, of the Grammy Award-winning African-American female a cappella ensemble, Sweet Honey and the Rock. Manisha launched her solo singing career by headlining at the Green Island Café in the Adams Morgan neighborhood in DC, following which she moved to New England for her graduate studies. In New England, in addition to performing as a jazz vocalist and playing with local bands Divercity (reggae/keyboards) and Black Sea Salsa (singer), she successfully laid the groundwork for her originals, introducing her compositions to a packed Cezanne Café and Bakery in Cambridge, MA in 1999. As a member of the Chorus pro Musica, she performed at Boston’s Symphony Hall and NYC’s Carnegie Hall. She appears on the Black Sea Salsa band’s Crimean Dance Party (2004) and her voice may also be heard on Blind – The Remixes, by the band Dragonfly (Sony India & Sony France, 2005).

Although Manisha has performed for and worked with young students since she herself was 13, it was not until 2004 that she began to gain more experience as a teaching artist. Not only has she designed her own workshops, but she has also worked with arts programs such as the Urban Voices program of the Metropolitan Opera Guild and, most recently, with Rock the Classroom, a program that aims to enhance literacy through songwriting.

After shoveling more than 40 inches of snow following a Boston blizzard in 2005, Manisha wisely relocated to sunny Los Angeles. A 2008 & 2009 recipient of the ASCAPlus Award in the Jazz and Popular Division, Manisha performs regularly as a solo act or with her band.