Sarod Trilogy

Co-presented with the Indo-American Arts Council, join us for an evening with Amjad Ali Khan, the award-winning sixth-generation sarod virtuoso credited with the creation and development of the sarod. Amjad will be accompanied by his two sons, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, who carry forward the family’s extraordinary musical legacy, percussionist Shane Shanahan, and a tabla player.

About Sarod Grand Master Amjad Ali Khan

Amjad Ali Khan stands among the world’s most revered masters of classical music. Born into a legendary musical lineage as the son of sarod virtuoso Haafiz Ali Khan, he gave his first public performance at the tender age of six. Renowned for revolutionizing the technique of sarod playing, he has shaped a career that spans over six illustrious decades.

Throughout his journey, Amjad Ali Khan has received numerous prestigious honors, including a Grammy nomination, the Crystal Award from the World Economic Forum, the Fukuoka Cultural Grand Prize, and a National Ambassadorship from UNICEF. He has graced some of the world’s most iconic stages, from Carnegie Hall and Royal Albert Hall to the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo in 2014.

His groundbreaking sarod concerto Samaagam has been performed by leading orchestras across the globe, such as the Britten Sinfonia, Orchestre National d'Île-de-France, Orchestre d’Auvergne, London Philharmonia, Gulbenkian Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony, Welsh National Opera, Atlanta Symphony, and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

As an educator, he has shared his knowledge at institutions including Stanford University, the University of New Mexico, and the Jacobs School of Music. In recognition of his artistic excellence and contributions to global music, he was awarded the Gold Medal at the Global Music Awards.

In 2018, Amjad Ali Khan headlined the United Nations Day Concert alongside his sons, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, and the Refugee Orchestra Project. The concert, dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, embraced the theme of “Traditions of Peace and Non-Violence” and was held in the presence of UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

In a unique collaboration bridging genres, Khan joined Gwen Stefani and Jon Bon Jovi for VetsAid, the charity concert organized by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Joe Walsh, in both 2020 and 2021. Together with Walsh, he released a three-song EP titled Prayers, honoring doctors and frontline workers during the pandemic.

In a recent tribute to his extraordinary legacy, the city of San Diego officially declared April 13 as Amjad Ali Khan Day.

About Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash

The music of Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash is deeply rooted in cultural and musical traditions that breathe life and purpose into their work. These acclaimed sarod virtuosos invite audiences to listen with their hearts, transcending the usual divides between tradition and innovation, continuity and change. Their performances blend technical mastery with lyrical elegance and vibrant energy—hallmarks of a unique artistic vision shaped by a lineage that spans seven generations. As sons and disciples of legendary sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan, and grandsons of the esteemed Haafiz Ali Khan, Amaan and Ayaan represent the seventh generation of this illustrious musical heritage.

Their global journey includes performances at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Royal Albert Hall. As both soloists and a celebrated duo, they have collaborated with renowned artists like guitarist Derek Trucks of the Allman Brothers Band, classical guitarist Sharon Isbin, and ensembles such as the Chicago Philharmonic and the Avignon Symphony Orchestra.

Their international acclaim includes a performance at the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo and winning the Gold Medal at the Global Music Awards in Los Angeles for their album Peace Worshippers. More recently, they presented Samaagam, a concerto composed by their father Amjad Ali Khan, with orchestras including the New Jersey Symphony under conductor Xian Zhang, Moscow State Philharmonic, Adelaide Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, and the Bronx Arts Ensemble. In 2018, they performed at the United Nations Day Concert alongside Amjad Ali Khan and the Refugee Orchestra Project, under the baton of Lidiya Yankovskaya, in a program themed “Traditions of Peace and Non-Violence” in the presence of UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

In 2020 and 2021, Amaan and Ayaan performed at Joe Walsh’s VetsAid Charity Concert alongside artists like Gwen Stefani and Jon Bon Jovi. They also collaborated with Joe Walsh and their father on a three-song EP titled Prayers, a tribute to doctors,frontline workers, and all those affected by the global pandemic. The EP features a stellar lineup of Los Angeles-based musicians, including Stewart Copeland (The Police), Jim Keltner, Nathan East, Leland Sklar, Abe Laboriel Sr., Ed Roth, Davey Johnstone (Elton John’s lead guitarist), and Joe Vitale.

Most recently, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash have been named Associate Artists at the prestigious Wigmore Hall in London, ahead of the Hall’s 120th anniversary celebrations. As part of this five-year partnership, they will perform at least once every season, joining the ranks of fellow Associate Artists such as violist Lawrence Power and soprano Gweneth Ann Rand.

About Shane Shanahan
Known for his innovative melding of musical styles and traditions, percussionist and composer Shane Shanahan has fused his studies of Middle-Eastern, Indian and African drumming traditions with his background in jazz, rock and Western classical music to create his own distinctive style. For 20 years he toured around the globe performing regularly with Yo-Yo Ma as a founding member of the genre-defying, Grammy-winning Silkroad Ensemble. Shane has performed and/or recorded with such artists as Bobby McFerrin, Aretha Franklin, James Taylor, Philip Glass, Chaka Khan, Bill Frisell, Amjad Ali Khan, Toumani Diabate, Alison Krauss, and Glen Velez, among others. He has also released two albums of his original music for global chamber ensemble. A strong believer in the transformative power of education, Shane frequently presents workshops and clinics at the world’s leading universities and conservatories, including The Eastman School of Music, New England Conservatory, Princeton, Harvard, and Cornell, while maintaining an active teaching studio in Brooklyn. Shane collaborates regularly with the dance, yoga, theater, and Broadway communities in NYC where he has been a part of the pit orchestras for shows such as The Queen of Versailles, Mean Girls, Come From Away, The Color Purple, and Caroline, or Change to name a few.