Being one of the few western artists who are able to play authentic Indian classical music with virtuosity, Christian Noçon receives enthusiastic concert reviews - and the comments on the Indian side are equally convinced:
“If you wouldn't see who is playing, you would think it is somebody from India.” (Pandit Subroto Roy Chowdhury)
On a journey to the Indian classical music tradition fascinated Christian and he started to take his first sitar lessons in Benares. After learning from several local teachers, the structure of North Indian classical music and playing technique of the sitar were taught to him by renowned artists like Dr. Raj Bhan Singh (Banaras Hindu University) and Prof. Subroto Roy Chowdhury (Rabindra Bharati University, Calcutta) in the following years.
Still eager to improve, Christian has recently become disciple of one of the most eminent sitar players: Pandit Manilal Nag, doyen of the Bishnupur Gharana.
Christian has passed the first year exam of the Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad in the first division and with distinction.
Meanwhile he has given concerts at international venues and festivals in Germany, U.K., France, Italy and India, accompanied by able Tabla players from India and the West.
He has also performed for the National Indian TV Channel Doordarshan and the German RBB Kulturradio, and holds lecture demonstrations and workshops about Indian classical music, amongst others at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy in Berlin.
His close connection to the Indian classical music scene and its artists is audible in his raga renditions:
in his playing the very soul of India can be heard.
Apart from teaching sitar, he also arranges compositions for Indian and Western instruments in collaboration with artists from other musical traditions and works as studio musician in Germany and abroad.