Irshad Khan

Ustad Irshad Khan is a musician renowned for his skill with the Surbahar and the Sitar. In fact, in the international arena, he is recognized among one of the leading  Surbahar exponents of his generation.Although he was born in Kolkata, he currently resides in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and is the mentor to several musicians wishing to learn from his Gharana. He is the founder and also the president of the Universal Academy for Musicians, based in Mississauga and Mumbai, India. Apart from actively performing internationally, he also conducts workshops, lectures and master classes in various educational institutions.

The family he was born into always had a rich heritage for music spanning over 300 years, Ustad Irshad Khan is the second son of Ustad Imrat Khan and the nephew of Ustad Vilayat Khan Among the Great Kalakars of India, Ustad Vilayat K >> Read More... . He belongs to the Imdadkhani Etawa Gharana, which is the most respected musical heritage for Sitar and Surbahar artists world over. He has 3 brothers Nishat, Wajahat and Shafaatullah Khan all of whom are also renowned musicians playing the sitar, sarod and tabla respectively. Irshad Khan was a child prodigy with respect to music, giving his first performance at age 7 in Calcutta.

At the age of 13, he performed at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Great Britain marking his international debut. Then at the age of 18, he made history by becoming the youngest soloist ever to perform at the Indian All Night Concert held at Proms, London. Since then he has played in a variety of concerts across the globe, spanning over 40 countries. He is recognized particularly for the mastery of his technique on both the Sitar and the Surbahar. Moreover, his music is extended across an exhilarating range of styles such as Dhrupad, Khyal, Tappa and Thumree. His commendable versatility also extends to different genres of music and he is known to leave his audience spellbound regardless of whether he is performing pure classical, folk, or new age/ world beat music.

Irshad Khan has also been affiliated with SPIC MACAY for many years and has performed extensively in association with them. This is because he believes that SPIC MACAY is an important initiative by Mr. Kiran Sethi specifically because one of the primary aims is to promote the enjoyment of music amongst the youth. He has gone on multiple tours across India with the organization and is only delighted to go on much more. On October 15, 2016, Ustad Irshad Khan gave one of his most renowned performances during the third session of the first day of the 64th Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav.

During his performance, he enthralled one and all with the mellifluous notes on the instruments. Starting with the Surbahar, he presented Alap, Jhod, and Jhala in raga Shuddha Kalyan. He concluded with raga Pilu with Sanyan More ‘Tohare bina neendiya na aawe,’ which is a semi-classical composition. His most recent performance in India was on 26th January, 2017 in Kolkata during the 65th Dover Lane Music Conference at Nazrul Mancha.