Amjad Ali Khan is one of the undisputed masters of the music world. For many, he takes on a celestial avatar when he is playing the Sarod. Born to Sarod icon Haafiz Ali Khan, he gave his first performance at the age of six. Over the course of his career, he has delivered his music in a flexible instrument line that is vocal in its expressiveness. He has reinvented the technique of Sarod playing which today is distinct in its nomenclature. He has won numerous accolades including a Grammy nomination, the Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum and has performed at venues the world over including Carnegie Hall and the Royal Albert Hall. Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan represent the 7th generation of a musical lineage, as sons and disciples of the sarod icon,Amjad Ali Khan. With him they have performed across the globe at the Kennedy Center, and Smithsonian and WOMAD festivals on many continents. They have also collaborated with guitarist Derek Trucks of the Allman Brothers Band, among others, and established themselves as a duo, carrying forward their musical legacy in sync with both tradition and contemporary times. In 2014, Amjad Ali Khan, Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan performed at the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Oslo, Norway on as well as the Nobel Peace PrizeConcert along with the lineup of Queen Latifa, Steven Tyler, Nuno Bettencourt and Laura Mvula. They present traditional Indian Classical Ragas and Indian Folk Music that will be interpreted on their Sarods.
An Americanish Songbook: Linda Ronstadt’s “other” Country
This talk will consider performances and recordings by singer Linda Ronstadt to propose what I refer to as her Americanish musical songbook. The suffix “ish” here intends to accentuate the “somewhat” or “to some extent” of “American” that Ronstadt—Tucson born and raised—lived and sonically imagined through her extraordinary musical career.
Arab Musicking on the U.S.–Mexico Border
This talk explores the relationship between trauma and identity by examining Arab music performance on the U.S.–Mexico border. Drawing on the musicking of Syrian and Mexican migrant communities, I interrogate theories of cultural and psychological trauma and borderland epistemologies to explore how border tensions influence the often-fraught views of identity.
Music from the Americas presents The Low Frequency Trio
Formed by Antonio Rosales (bass clarinet), Juan José García (doublebass), and José Luis Hurtado (piano), LOW FREQUENCY TRIO is one of the few ensembles in the world that plays music that was exclusively composed for them.