Raagmaala brings “Magical Moments on Sitar” featuring an exquisite Sitar performer Ustad Irshad Khan. The Concert is scheduled for April 1, 2006 at 7 PM at The picturesque Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland RI. The concert is partially funded by a grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the arts and cosponsored by Kabob – n – Curry restaurant of RI.

Ustad Irshad Khan is a direct descendent in the lineage of the musical heritage that dates back to 400 hundred years. His roots extend back to his forefather ‘Khurramdaad’ (a title given by Mogul emperor Shah Jahan) meaning ‘appreciated by Khurram or Shah Jahan’), a court musician of the Mogul Emperor. "Music is a family heirloom spanning 400 years," says Khan, who belongs to the10th generation of the Imdad Khani Gharana (Family), the same that enthralled music lovers in the Mogul courts of Emperor Akbar.  He studied with his father Ustad Imrat Khan and Uncle Late Ustad Vilayat Khan, recognized as some of the finest exponents of Imdadkhani Sitar Tradition worldwide.
 
“Coming from a family of maestros, expectations run high and sometimes it is difficult to live up to them," admits Khan. He is also a master of Surbahar (bass sitar), invented by his great-great grandfather Ustad Sahebdad Khan.

Irshad has given more than 2,500 concerts in over 30 countries. His music is available on 20 plus CDs with international recording companies.

“…children still in their teens to old people were all hypnotized, everybody sat in complete awe"  (Irish Times, Ireland)

"Scintillating performance."    (Boston Globe, U.S.A

“The Mozart of Indian music”     (Isthmus, Milwaukee U.S.A.)
                                                                                                        
"...flights of fingers and feelings had one sitting almost on the edge of the seat"  (South China Morning Post, China)

Nitin Mitta, a tabla exponent in the Farrukhabad tradition, will accompany Irshad. Nitin inherited a rare and a large repertoire of the late ustad Amir Hussain Khan through his teachers Pundit Satyanarayana and Pundit Arvind Mulgaonkar. Nitin performs globally and is a recipient of the 2003 RISCA Master’s grant.

He has performed with several eminent Indian Musicians like Pt. Jasraj, Dr. Prabha Atrey, Pundit Rajan-Sajan Mishra, Pundit Ramesh Mishra, Dr. Veena  Sahasrabuddhe, Viswamohan Bhatt, Buddhaditya Mukherjee, Ustad Shahid Pervez and Pundit Partha Chatterjee etc.

“Nitin Mitta, explored the instrument’s full range, from sharp and metallic to
deep and resonant.”        Mark Jenkins, Washington Post  

The venue is handicap accessible and the concert is open to all. General admission is $17. Students’ tickets are discounted and are only $10.

Tickets are available at Kabob-n-Curry restaurant on Thayer Street or at the venue. Get detailed information and direction from www.riverfolk.org / 401725-9272.

For further information, contact:
Arun Agrawal (508-676-5706) / Raagmaala@gmail.com

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