Welcoming for the First Time
Shiraz Ali Khan (grandson of Maestro Ali Akbar Khan) - Sarod
with Nilan Chaudhuri - Tabla

&

Arjun Verma - Sitar
with Eman Essa - Tabla 

Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 7:00 PM
The AACM | 215 West End Ave, San Rafael, CA 94901

The AACM is proud to welcome Shiraz Ali Khan, the grandson of Maestro Ali Akbar Khan, for his first performance on our stage. Like his grandfather before him, Shiraz will be performing on Sarod with tabla accompaniment by Nilan Chaudhuri, son of our very own Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri.

Opening the evening will be AACM instructor and formidable sitarist, Arjun Verma. His powerful performance will be accompanied on tabla by Eman Essa, who is a long term student of Pandit Swapan Chaudhui. This will be a memorable and special event, filled with family and community. We hope to see you there!

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Shiraz Ali Khan - Sarod

Shiraz Ali Khan was initiated into North Indian Classical Music at the age of 5 by his father, the late professor Dhyanesh Khan. Shiraz also studied under the guidance of his grandfather, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, his uncle, Ustad Aashish Khan, and his aunt, Smt. Ameena Perera, in the Beenkar and Rababiya Anga styles bearing the Dhrupad form of vocal music. At the age of 8, he also started his tabla taalim under the guidance of the late Pandit Shankar Ghosh, but eventually devoted his entire focus to the sarod.

Shiraz divides his time between his strict traditional pursuits and his forays into world music. Shiraz has performed with legendary musicians throughout his career, and has also worked with distinguished artists composing music for documentaries and music.

Arjun Verma - Sitar

Arjun has spent his entire life steeped in the tradition of North Indian Classical Music. The son of internationally performing sitarist Roop Verma, who was a disciple of Ali Akbar Khan and Ravi Shankar, Arjun began learning sitar from his father at age five. As a teenager, Arjun was deeply inspired by the preeminent sarod maestro, Ali Akbar Khan, and he ultimately moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to study directly with Ali Akbar Khan for eight years.  Since the Maestro’s passing in 2009, Arjun has continued his training under the able guidance of Ali Akbar Khan’s son, Alam Khan.  Arjun has also received guidance from Smt. Annapurna Devi.

As a musician of the Maihar Gharana (style) of Hindustani classical music, Arjun’s playing is based on the music of Maestro Ali Akbar Khan.  He has developed innovative sitar techniques inspired by the Maestro’s style, and is also influenced by sitarist Nikhil Banerjee.  Arjun’s playing also incorporates musical elements drawn from his long apprenticeship with his father, Roop Verma.  The combination of these influences results in a style encompassing the deeply contemplative as well as the exhilarating elements of Indian Music.

We hope to see you at this event! For more information, please contact us at [email protected]