The Music of Lucknow-Shahjahanpur: An Evening of Indian Classical Sarod

Immerse yourself in a mesmerizing sonic experience by sarod master Ustad Irfan Muhammad Khan, the hereditary khalifa (head) of the founding lineage of sarod players, the Lucknow-Shahjahanpur Gharana, and sarod virtuoso Arnab Chakrabarty. The duo will present rare ragas and compositions of this unique lineage of sarod music, accompanied by the great tabla maestro Ustad Shahbaz Hussain. This performance, presented by the Raga Fellowship and the Aga Khan Museum, will open with a solo set by Chakrabarty, followed by several duet pieces with Khan.

Ustad Irfan Muhammad Khan
Ustad Irfan Muhammad Khan (b. 1954) is an elder statesman of the tradition of the sarod, one of the best-known Indian classical musical instruments. He is an eighth-generation descendant of the family that invented the sarod approximately 200 years ago. Khan was trained by great sarod maestros, which include his illustrious uncle, Ustad Ilyas Khan, and his father, Ustad Umar Khan. A widely travelled scholar-musician, Irfan Khan has performed across India, the United States, and Europe, and has lectured on music history at a number of universities. He is fluent in many languages and taught for several years at the Afghan National Institute of Music in Kabul, with which he remains associated as an Emeritus Professor.

Arnab Chakrabarty
Indo-Canadian musician Arnab Chakrabarty (b. 1980) is widely considered one of the finest sarod players in the world. Born and raised in Bombay, India, Arnab has studied music over the past 35 years with luminaries of sarod music such as Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta, Dr. Kalyan Mukherjea, and lately, Ustad Irfan Muhammad Khan. Arnab has also studied vocal music with the late Pandit Yeshwantbua Joshi. Over the last 24 years, Arnab has performed in over 1000 concerts in 33 countries, appearing at some of the most prestigious venues in the world, including the Victoria & Albert Museum, London Symphony Orchestra St. Luke’s, and the Copenhagen Jazz Festival. Arnab is also one of the most sought-after teachers of Hindustani instrumental music worldwide and an accomplished designer of musical instruments.

Shahbaz Hussain
British-Pakistani tabla maestro Shahbaz Hussain (b. 1979) represents a fine synthesis of the Delhi and Punjab gharana schools of tabla playing. One of the finest and most sought-after tabla accompanists for Hindustani classical and semi-classical music, Shahbaz has studied with a trinity of formidable masters, including Ustad Alla Rakha, Ustad Faiyaz Khan, and Ustad Miyan Shaukat Hussain Khan. Shahbaz has performed with some of the top names in South Asian classical music and has been decorated with the Pride of Performance award by the Government of Pakistan.

Presented in association with Small World Music