Girija Devi

Girija Devi (8 May 1929 – 24 October 2017) was an Indian classical singer of the Seniya and Banaras gharanas. She performed classical and light classical music and helped elevate the profile of thumri.
Early career.
Devi agreed to not perform privately for others, but gave her first public concert in Bihar in 1951. She worked as a faculty member of the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in Kolkata in the 1980s and of the Banaras Hindu University during the early 1990s, and taught several students to preserve her musical heritage. Devi often toured and continued to perform in 2009.
Musical career.
Devi sang in the Banaras gharana and performed the "purabi ang" "thumri" style typical of the tradition, whose status she helped elevate.
Death.
Devi died on 24 October 2017 of cardiac arrest at the age of 88.