Sharmi Surianarain is a genre-defying composer, vocalist, and storyteller who has performed across India, South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, the U.S., Chile, Brazil, and Argentina — from the Mumbai Opera House to Carnegie Hall. Her projects span multi-genre composition, musical theatre, cross-cultural collaborations, and socially rooted choral work.

Beyond the stage, Sharmi is a global leader in social impact. At the African Leadership Academy, she co-created Africa Careers Network, connecting thousands of young Africans to jobs and internships. Today, she leads impact, fundraising, and systems change at Harambee, enabling over 1.5 million earning opportunities in South Africa and 4,000 new jobs in Rwanda. She is also the Board Chair of the Rwanda Global Business Growth Initiative, founder of a social enterprise spotlighting the value of the care economy, and has cumulatively raised more than $150M for youth employment and education across Africa. Fluent in six languages, Sharmi’s work centers on storytelling, impact, intergenerational learning, and unleashing the potential of young people.

Sharmi is currently working on:

Witness (2026) — a 12-song, multi-genre album featuring The Jazztified and Grammy-nominated pianist Charu Suri
Pani Puri — a Kenyan-Indian musical theatre collaboration with award-winning musician Eric Wainaina and playwright Aleya Kassam
Singing Protest: Homage to Maandamano — an intergenerational choral project in Nairobi

Carrying a rare mix of technical depth, global perspective, and storytelling mastery, Sharmi is an extraordinary facilitator for young artists, singer-songwriters, and performers.

This evening will feature songs from her unreleased album Witness, alongside other compositions already shared with the world. Join her live at Musee Musicals on December 19th — to experience the storyteller, the singer-songwriter, in full voice.

Curated by Quriosity