Irshad Khan World Ensemble
Toronto, Ontario, Canada | INDIE | AFM
Music
Press
Listening to Khan perform is somewhat of a mind-bending experience. ….Khan feels and feeds off the energy from the audience..…… ……a stunning, jaw-dropping display of virtuosity. - The Record, Kitchener, Canada)
"The blurred speed of hands. Amazing range of beautiful music from children till in their teens to old people were all hypnotized, everybody sat in complete awe" - Irish Times, Ireland)
"Irshad Khan's supreme technique on the Sitar clearly marks him to be one of the most dynamic sitarists of today." - (Detroit News, U.S.A)
INTERNATIONAL REVIEWS:
"Scintillating performance." (Boston Globe, U.S.A)
“The Mozart of Indian music” (Isthmus, Milwaukee U.S.A.)
“his meditative improvisations unfold with steeply patience, developing melodic patterns with the kind of measured austerity one usually encounters only in dhrupad music”. (Critic’s Choice, Chicago reader, U.S.A)
“Using his inimitable style and technique, the strings of his sitar created blissful music, enhanced further by some splendid intermittent vocal fare by the great artiste himself,” a music lover recalled, describing the concert as truly wholesome. At Khan's initiation, the entire audience was singing the notes with ease, showing true involvement.
(Gulf Times, Qatar)
Listening to Khan perform is somewhat of a mind-bending experience. ….Khan feels and feeds off the energy from the audience..…… ……a stunning, jaw-dropping display of virtuosity. (The Record, Kitchener, Canada)
"Irshad was exceptional." (The Guardian, England)
“Charismatic music mesmerizes audience.” (The Toronto Star, Canada)
"Feast of music for the hungry". (The Times, England)
"The blurred speed of hands. Amazing range of beautiful music from children till in their teens to old people were all hypnotized, everybody sat in complete awe" (Irish Times, Ireland)
"His instrument emulates the sounds of birds and waterfalls. Emotions, colours and expressions coming to life. The chords create poetry." (The Lance, Windsor, Canada)
"Irshad was exceptional" (The Guardian, England)
"Irshad Khan's supreme technique on the Sitar clearly marks him to be one of the most dynamic sitarists of today." (Detroit News, U.S.A)
"There is a pulsating, lively energy field around Irshad Khan, a space that radiates with his inner fire and creative vigour. There are no short cuts to his all round greatness." (Gulf News, Dubai, U.A.E)
"This was music at its spontaneous, vibrant & sensual. One scarcely needed to be an expert in Indian Music to get the message. At times the brilliant flights of fingers and feelings had one sitting almost on the edge of the seat".(South China Morning Post, China)
"Irshad has already successfully secured a sound foothold in the world of music." (Bangladesh Observer, Bangladesh)
"To watch him play is like watching a man go through a mystical experience. A young musician in the audience said 'It was mind expanding I could listen for ever." (Star India Journal, Canada)
"An Advocate of Indian traditional music" (New Straits Times, Malaysia)
INDIAN REVIEWS:
“path breaker” Times of India, Mumbai)
“change in strategy” (Statesman, Kolkatta)
“a musician extraordinaire…the best contemporary sitar and surbahar exponent, Irshad Khan is a musical magic by himself. (Times of India, Goa,)
"Irshad Khan is a type of Sitar maestro whom one would like to hear again and again". (Times of India, Lucknow)
"Gifted Musician" (Telegraph, Calcutta)
"To listen to Irshad Khan was to set up on a voyage in a sea of sonorous sound. He held his listeners spell bound, and there is no doubt that he has earned a niche for himself in the edifice of Indian Classical music." (Times of India, Bombay)
"Irshad in true form" (Amrita Bazar Patrica, W.Bengal)
"his music bears testimony to a sound basic training, razor-sharp aesthetic sense, incessant riyaz and fertile imagination".(Times of India, Bombay)
"In technical mastery over the instruments and in all round virtuosity, Irshad has reached the hallmark through uncompromising hard work, and has set an example to be followed by all young formative artists" (The Statesman, Calcutta)
"He has a sensitive temperament and human touch of fingers" (Times of India, Delhi)
“ ‘A’ class affair” (Midday, Bombay)
“…breathtaking virtuosity variety of Taans played with unparalleled speed.…meends as sweet as honey drops….” (Navbharat, Gwalior)
- Newspapers Internationally
“Charismatic music mesmerizes audience.” - The Toronto Star, Canada)
"Feast of music for the hungry" - The Times, England)
Discography
Discography
Desires – New Age/Classic Pop Fusion – EMI/Virgin, India
Fire Grace Passion – Classical/Folk – New Dawn Productions, USA
Awakenings – World Beat/New Age/Contemporary Jazz – UAM Label, Canada
Basant Bahar – Semi Classical/Folk - UAM, Canada
Vaibhav – Classical – Legendary Legacy, India
Romancing the Sitar – Folk – UAM, Canada
Great Heritage Great Tradition – Classical - HMV, India/UK
Jansamohini Surbahar – Classical – India Archive Music, USA
Magic of Twilight – Classical – Naxos World, Germany/Hong Kong
Rich Heritage Malhar – Classical/Folk – Legendary Legacy, India
Transcendence – Classical/Folk – HMV-RPG/SaReGaMa, India/UK
Imdad Khan to Irshad Khan – Classical/Folk – T-Series, India
Rhythm House Classic – Classical – Rhythm House, India
Infatuation – Classical – Golden Tunes, Canada
Brilliance of Irshad Khan – Classical - EMI, India
Live in Amsterdam – Classical – CA Recordings, Holland
Surbahar and Sitar – Classical – Nimbus, UK
Imrat Khan and Sons – Classical – Edelweiss, Italy
Bilawal – Classical - Melodia, Russia
Compilation Malkauns – Classical – HMV-RPG, India
Jhinjhoti on Surbahar – Classical - Still, France
Photos
Bio
THE MUSICIAN:
• Irshad Khan's World Ensemble is led by his super virtuosic Sitar performance. This revolutionary musical style has created a ground breaking East-Meets-West Theme, which is a combination of Indian traditional to contemporary jazz, blues, to world-beat funk, new-age, folk/fusion.
• Irshad Khan is the foremost representative and heir of a musical heritage unprecedented in India and the torchbearer of the younger generation of the leading ancient Sitar family,Imdadkhani Etawa Gharana School.
• He is internationally recognized as one of the greatest Sitar players and as the leading Surbahar (bass sitar) exponent of his generation
• Irshad Khan’s individual stamp in both these instruments ascends from the distinctiveness of his technique and mental prowess.
• His style is followed and inspired by many formative and professional sitar players of his generation. His dedication to the subtleties of the raga is in bringing out its essence in rendering its pure form of feelings and expressions.
• His phenomenal control of the intricate "gayaki-ang"(vocal) and "tantra-ang"(instrumental)
• styles make Irshad Khan one of the world’s most dynamic musicians of today.
• Whether he is performing pure classical, folk, or worldbeat/newage, audiences are stunned by his supreme musicality.
• This remarkable versatility allows Irshad Khan to transcend cultural barriers and turn each performance into a spellbinding and unforgettable experience for audiences everywhere.
• Through his performances and international press accolades and groundbreaking albums, he has proved to be an outstanding World musician.
• Having emerged as a child prodigy, Irshad Khan gave his first public performance at the age of seven.
• His international debut was at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, England when he was only 13.
• At 18, he made history by becoming the youngest soloist to perform at one of the most prestigious international music festivals held in London, known as the Indian All Night concert at the Proms.
• Since then he has played in over 30 nations that include performances in various music festivals and conferences throughout India, Europe, the Middle East, Russia, the Far East, and North America.
• Irshad Khan is the Founder/President of Universal Academy for Musicians, based in Mississauga and Mumbai. Apart from actively performing internationally, he also conducts workshops, lectures and master classes in various educational institutions. He has many commercial recordings, which are sold worldwide.
LEGENDARY HERITAGE:
Irshad Khan is the son and disciple of Ustad Imrat Khan and nephew of Ustad Vilayat Khan . His family represents the most respected gharana (musical heritage), known as the Imdadkhani gharana, of sitar and surbahar players in the world. Dating back over four hundred years, Irshad's ancestors had been among the best musicians and leading sitar players of India and are credited for the introduction of the 'gayakiang' vocal style on the sitar. His family has been paramount in the evolution of the sitar into its present form as well as in the creation of the surbahar, which was invented by Irshad's great-great grandfather Ustad Sahebdad Khan.
WORLDWIDE ENGAGEMENTS:
CANADA
• Toronto Symphony Orchestra at Roy Thomson Hall. • National Art Centre Orchestra (NAC).
• Vancouver International Folk Festival. • Winnipeg Folk Festival. • Ontario Science Centre.
• Ness Creek Festival.
• Sun Fest Toronto Harbour Front, Molson Place.
• Museum of Civilization, Ottawa.
• National Arts Centre; National Capital Comm. (NCC).
• Royal Ontario Museum.
• Kitchener / Waterloo Chamber Music Society.
• Concerts in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Sudbury.
• Concerts at several Universities, including; University Hall of Windsor, University of Ottawa, McMaster University, Brock University, Carleton University, Wilfred Laurier University. Medical Science Auditorium at the University of Toronto.
USA
• Smithsonian Institute, Washington.
• Ford Auditorium Detroit
• Bhartiya Temple in Detroit.
• Symphony Space New York
• Ruben Museum New York City
• Concerts and lectures at several Universities, including; University of Texas-Austin, Duke University-North Carolina, Harvard University, University of Rochester, University of Massachusetts, Wesleyan . Browns Univ. RIT Rochester NY, Alfred Univ. NY, King Fischers college NY, Univ. of Illinois, Yale Univ. Connecticut, Univ. of Iowa. Amherst College MA, Albany State Univ.
• Concerts at Aims, South Bend, Bloomington, Syracuse, New York Symphony Space, Ruben Museum of Arts, Dallas, Philadelphia, Houston, Madison, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, St. Louis, Washington State, New York, Rochester, Newark, Durham, Connecticut and Oregon, Rhode Island.
UNITED KINGDOM
• Womad festival, Redding.
• Played twice for "PROMS" Fest (Henry Promenade) whole night concert which was broadcast live from London throug
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