Biography
Salima Gowani is a creative musician based in London and performs throughout Europe, the United States and Asia. Trained at The Juilliard School (BMus, Peter Mennin Prize) and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (MLead) on double bass, she also plays ukulele, electric bass guitar and sings.
Her performance experience spans many genres from work with the Philharmonia Orchestra and English National Ballet to work with artists such as Emeli Sandé and Nitin Sawhney. This variety has taken her to venues including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Southbank Centre, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Royal Opera House, the O2 and Wembley Arena.
Salima has worked in contemporary ensembles and original music bands in New York and London with varied influences from Western and Indian classical, rock, jazz, and urban popular. Performances in this context include Glastonbury Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Talvin Singh’s Symbiosis of Sound at King’s Place, Alchemy Festival at Queen Elizabeth Hall, and The Great Escape Festival.
An advocate for creative thinking, Salima offers bespoke music workshops for all age groups including early years under 5, primary and secondary students, university students, professionals, and elderly groups including those with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Participants learn to be effective communicators and collaborators, and they can apply their experience to creative problem-solving in today’s world. Salima writes new music and songs for school performances and works with various organizations including Creative Futures, London Symphony Orchestra Discovery and Grand Union Orchestra. She also offers engaging double bass lessons in her thriving private teaching practice.
Salima is currently writing, performing and producing her own original songs with influences from classical, electronica, hip-hop and anti-folk.