Join sarod master Alam Khan for a recital of hindustani classical ragas at South Asia Institute. Alam Khan was born in California in 1982. He studied sarod under his father, the great musician, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan in the guru-shishya tradition from age seven. Khan is the direct heir to the legacy of the Senia Maihar gharana which was established by his grandfather Baba Alauddin Khan in the 19th century in India. Alauddin Khan was the teacher to not only his son, Ali Akbar Khan, but also to Ravi Shankar, Nikhil Bannerjee, and Aashish Khan as well.

Khan has also collaborated and toured with many artists over the years including Zakir Hussain, Swapan Chaudhuri, the San Francisco and Fremont symphonies, Grammy winning Tedeschi Trucks Band, Beats Antique and Anoushka Shankar. However, he regards classical music his main calling – like a guiding light that lays the foundation for his musical creations. He cherishes the distinct sound, approach and imaginative process of the Senia Maihar gharana and regards his father as his ‘king’.

As the sole heir to the legacy left behind by his grandfather and father, Alam Khan has shouldered his responsibilities with poise and grace. When Ustad Ali Akbar Khan passed away in 2009, Alam, a 27 year-old musician at the time, had to step in and continue his father’s classes at the Ali Akbar Music College in San Rafael which he has been doing ever since. Learning in the guru-shishya tradition is a life-long process in Indian classical music and for Alam. He continued learning from the vast archive of recordings of his father and has also pursued keenly as a performer, establishing himself firmly as one of the most accomplished and one of the finest sarod players of his generation today.

* This program is supported by a Gig Fund Grant by Arts Midwest