Jyoshna La Trobe is a NZ singer/songwriter and ethnomusicologist. Jyoshna’s original music communicates to others her life’s journey, written from the heart and soul of an artist. Her 30 plus music albums range from intimate devotional love songs on Occen (1980) to her singer/songwriter style on Unity Hours IV (2022). She has also written on commission for feature films (Stars in Her Eyes), short films (Prout documentary), TV documentaries (NRK TV), festivals and other events.
As a performer La Trobe works as a solo artist, and in groups. Working in collaboration with local musicians in Brasil, India, New Zealand, London, and Ireland of late, La Trobe has initiated recording projects and concerts, many of which benefit disadvantaged children in India, Haiti and Africa.
As an ethnomusicologist La Trobe’s passion is to build bridges between people of diverse cultural backgrounds to bring greater understanding and appreciation between them. Her speciality is the investigation, musical analysis and promotion of Rarhi Kirtan (North East India), Maori and other indigenous music-culture’s.
As a musician and ethnomusicologist of eastern devotional singing, kirtan plays a major role in Jyoshna’s musical and academic career. Many of her music compositions are devotional songs and kiirtan or “chanting the name of the divine. Her research into the background of kirtan led her to Rarh, India, the homeland of the kiirtan tradition where she spent 2005–2010 documenting the Rarhi traditional kirtan performances. Her own kirtan compositions are a blend of western singer/songwriter genres and Rarh devotional music
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jyoshna