Master of The Sarod, Amjad Ali Khan, Returns to Campus with Two Sons

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The Fine Arts Center (FAC) will host Amjad Ali Khan, along with his two sons, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, for a performance billed as “Sarod Trilogy” on Friday, Oct. 25. The performance will take place in the Fine Arts Center Concert Hall at 8 p.m. with a pre-performance talk in the lobby at 7 p.m. by Carl Clements, musician and jazz professor at Amherst College.

Khan is one of the undisputed masters of the music world. Born to sarod maestro Haafiz Ali Khan, he is the sixth generation in the legendary line of the Senia Bangash School. Since giving his first performance at the age of six, he has played for audiences worldwide, bringing a new and yet timeless interpretation to the repertoire, while being widely credited with reinventing the technique of playing the sarod.

Over the course of a distinguished career spanning more than six decades, Amjad Ali Khan has won numerous accolades including a Grammy nomination, the Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum, Unicef's National Ambassadorship and the Fukuoka Cultural grand prize. 

He has made regular appearances at Carnegie Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Sydney Opera House, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Esplanade Singapore, the Kennedy Center and Symphony Center in Chicago.

“Samaagam,” his first sarod concerto, has been performed by the Britten Sinfonia, Orchestre National d'lle de France, Orchestre d'Auvergne, London Philharmonia, Gulbenkian Orchestra, Welsh National Opera and Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Tickets for Amjad Ali Khan: Sarod Trilogy are $38 and $23; FAC Club seating is available for $73; Five College students and youth 17 and under are $10. For tickets call the Box Office at 545-2511, toll-free at 800-999-UMAS, or purchase online. This performance is sponsored by Pioneer Valley Hotel Group and 93.9 The River.