Ustad Irshad Khan: Surbahar and Sitar

PERFORMANCE

Ustad Irshad Khan: Surbahar and Sitar

Date: May 14, 2022, 7:30 pm
Price: $40 orchestra, $30 balcony, 10% Friends discount
Includes same-day Museum admission
*A limited number of $10 tickets for full-time students with valid ID are available through Raag-Mala Toronto. Please email raagmalatoronto@gmail.com

The Aga Khan Museum is proud to partner with the Raag-Mala Music Society of Toronto to bring the finest musicians performing Raag Sangeet (North Indian Classical music) to Toronto audiences.

 

Throughout their 2022 concert season, Raag-Mala Toronto will present five carefully selected vocalists and instrumentalists who are masters of their craft. Paying homage to tradition while carrying on this ancient art form, Raag-Mala Toronto presents a masterclass in musical complexity through a series of raags — improvisations based on musical scales that serve as the lifeblood of Indian classical music and have no traditional western equivalent.

 

Son and disciple of the maestro Ustad Imrat Khan, Irshad rendered his first stage performance at the age of 8. A child prodigy, Ustad Irshad Khan has emerged among the torch-bearers of the iconic Sitar Gharana, the Imdad Khani Etawah Gharana.

 

Irshad Khan has developed and advanced the technique of Surbahar and Sitar by introducing many musical innovations, including left-hand meends and right-hand tantra techniques. His style is a combination of the authentic gayaki ang and tantra ang Baaj (both Vocal and instrumental playing on the Sitar), gaining comprehensive mastery over every major aspect of Hindustani classical music.

 

Having performed at major venues and festivals around the globe, Irshad Khan is considered among the leading Surbahar and Sitar players of today. He has homes in Toronto and Kolkata, and he is the founding president of Universal Academy for musicians, which has branches in Toronto, Rochester NY and Kolkata.

 

 

About Raag Sangeet

 

Raag Sangeet is a centuries-old tradition in which knowledge is transmitted from a guru (teacher) to their disciple. An artist will typically present bandishes (compositions) learned from their guru, with improvisations dependent on the artist's creativity. An artist generally decides on bandishes, and the Raags (melodies) they are based on, just prior to their performance. The decision is often based on their mood, and the audience's energy receptivity to their performance. Connoisseurs often recognize the Raags on which these bandishes are based, whereas most listeners treat the performance as if meeting a friend - with curiosity and openness.

 

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Proudly supported by


Presented in Associate Partnership with Raag-Mala Music Society of Toronto


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