Ed Hanley (he/him)

Musician/Composer

Ed Hanley is a multi-dimensional artist – creator, performer, producer, photographer, cinematographer, recording engineer, video editor, educator, writer, and tabla player.

“A remarkable player, both in his musical thoughtfulness and his technical virtuosity” (Halifax Chronicle Herald) *

Ed’s multimedia work embraces music, video and photography. Although best known as a practitioner of tabla, Ed's recent work in the visual world (including over 100 music videos) expresses the same joy, dynamism, love of collaboration, and attention to detail as his years as a touring and recording musician.

Ed has studied tabla for over 30 years with masters including Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, Pandit Anindo Chatterjee and Taalyogi Suresh Talwalkar in Canada, the USA and on 10 journeys to India. He has also studied Carnatic drumming traditions with Sri Karaikudi Mani and Dr. Trichy Sankaran in Chennai and Toronto.

From the Stockholm Jazz Festival and the Jaipur Heritage Festival, to Massey Hall in Toronto and Joe’s Pub in New York City, Ed has been a featured performer at prominent music festivals and concert halls in Europe, India, the USA, and across Canada.

As co-artistic director of the Canadian world music ensemble Autorickshaw, Ed has been nominated for two Juno Award and the Grand Prize in the World Music category of the John Lennon Songwriting Competition.

As teacher Ed gives private and group lessons on tabla, solkattu and rhythm from professional artists to kids to adults. He runs an Indian percussion unit at the Toronto District School Board, teaching in nine schools involving about 300 students each year.

For Nova Dance: Maskura, Isolated Incidents, Infinite Storms, Elemental, M3, Svāhā!; Related Fragments (film)