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Ali Akbar Khan
Hindustani musician (1922ā2009) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ali Akbar Khan (14 April 1922 ā 18 June 2009) was an Indian Hindustani classical musician of the Maihar gharana, known for his virtuosity in playing the sarod. Trained as a classical musician and instrumentalist by his father, Allauddin Khan, he also composed numerous classical ragas and film scores.[1] He established a music school in Calcutta in 1956, and the Ali Akbar College of Music in 1967, which moved with him to the United States and is now based in San Rafael,[citation needed] California, with a branch in Basel, Switzerland.
Ali Akbar Khan | |
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Background information | |
Born | (1922-04-14)14 April 1922 Shibpur, Bengal Presidency, British India |
Origin | Maihar |
Died | 18 June 2009(2009-06-18) (aged 87) San Anselmo, California, U.S. |
Genres | Hindustani classical music |
Occupation(s) | Composer, Sarodiya |
Instrument(s) | Sarod |
Khan was instrumental in popularizing Indian classical music in the West, both as a performer and as a teacher. He first came to America in 1955 on the invitation of violinist Yehudi Menuhin and later settled in California.[2] He was a adjunct professor of music at the University of California, Santa Cruz.[3]
Khan was accorded India's second highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan, in 1989.[4] Nominated five times for the Grammy Award, Khan was also a recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship and the National Endowment for the Arts' National Heritage Fellowship.