Sunny Jain is the founder and dhol player for the pioneering Bhangra fusion band, Red Baraat, with performances at the White House (Obama), TED Talks, London Paralympics Closing Ceremony, Bonnaroo Music Festival, Austin City Limits and Peter Gabriel’s WOMAD festivals.  He was the drum set player for the acclaimed Pakistani Sufi-rock band, Junoon, from 2006-2011 with performances at the Nobel Peace Prize concert and United Nations General Assembly.  Jain has also performed with artists such as Marc Cary, Samir Chatterjee, Kyle Eastwood, Peter Gabriel, Vijay Iyer, Norah Jones, Kailash Kher, Karsh Kale, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead and Himanshu Suri (Das Racist/Swet Shop Boys).  He is the recipient of awards from National Public Radio, Aaron Copland Music Fund, Chamber Music America, Meet the Composer, Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, globalFEST and the Arts International Award in both 2005 and 2003 and the 2017 DownBeat Critics Poll winner for “Rising Star Percussionist.”  Jain’s pursuit has always centered on improvisation and community. “Taking risks and pushing the boundaries allows us to hit upon new ways of understanding and relating to the world. We are storytellers reflecting in our art the society we live in, and we are also simple creatures that desire community. If we can unite people of all backgrounds to partake in the exuberance of life through the universal language of music, regardless of any differences, then life is that much sweeter.”