USC Spectrum presents

Nishat Khan

Tickets are FREE to the general public. Please RSVP to arts@usc.edu or 213.740.2167

Oct. 11, 2009 | 6:00pm
Bovard Auditorium

"Profound and electrifying … pure exhilaration, taking tradition as a blueprint for ecstasy." New York Times

One of the foremost virtuosos of the sitar, Nishat Khan is the torchbearer of seven generations and the 400-year old tradition of India 's most renowned musical family. The son and disciple of Ustad Imrat Khan, Nishat has been dazzling audiences since the age of seven, performing at major venues internationally including Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center in New York, the Crossroads Festival in Dallas, the Smithsonian Institution, the Japanese Parliament DIET in Tokyo, the Presidential Palace in Zagreb, and Royal Albert Hall in London.

Exemplifying the humanity and universality of music, Maestro Khan has mastered not only the North Indian classical idiom but also realms as diverse as Gregorian chant, Western classical music, abstract jazz, and Flamenco. His sensitive phrasing and remarkable intuition for other musical traditions illustrate the freedom and versatility that has led to collaborations with the world's leading performers and composers such as John McLaughlin, Philip Glass, Paco Pena, Evelyn Glennie, and Django Bates.

Transcending musical barriers with his provocative expression and spellbinding technical mastery, Maestro Khan stands at the threshold of the future of sitar and Indian music with his uniquely invigorating, contemporary approach.

"A chemistry that is hard to describe … it has allure and humour. He has a sparkling touch that beguiles and enchants at once. Ferociously gifted … no conceivable limitations … from whisper-soft pianissimos to the percussive thunder of jungle drum … his sitar roars, cries and exults" The Times of India