May 20, 2002 UCSC presents 'The Classical Music of India' By Ann M. Gibb One of India's most important musical artists, sitar master Ustad Vilayat Khan, will star in "The Classical Music of India," a concert jointly sponsored by UCSC's Arts & Lectures program and Arts Division, on Sunday, June 2, at 7 p.m. at the Flint Center in Cupertino. From left to right are Zakir Hussain, Vilayat Khan, Hidayat Khan, and Shujaat Khan. Photo: Jack Vartoogian Given the title "radiant star of the sitar" by Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, the late president of India, Khan is widely regarded as the greatest living sitar player. Khan traces his musical heritage back seven generations and has revolutionized contemporary sitar performance by furthering sitar techniques pioneered by his grandfather. In addition to performing internationally and recording extensively, Khan has scored films for Satyajit Ray and Merchant and Ivory productions. "The Classical Music of India" will be one of Khan's increasingly rare public performances. For this one-night-only concert he will be joined by the next generation of great Indian musicians, including two of his sons, sitar players Shujaat Husain Khan and Hidayat Khan. This is the first time these three musicians have performed together in the United States since they appeared at Carnegie Hall in 1997. In addition, the concert features the tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain. This concert is held in honor of Talat and Kamil Hasan, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and members of the Bay Area Indo-American community, in recognition for their gift establishing an endowment in classical Indian music at UCSC. "The Classical Music of India" concert is also dedicated to Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, in celebration of his 80th birthday. A distinguished adjunct professor of music at UCSC, Ali Akbar Khan teaches master classes and workshops and advises the South Asia music program at UCSC. Proceeds from "The Classical Music of India" concert will benefit the South Asian Arts Fund at UCSC, which supports the study and performance of the classical arts of South Asia. The Flint Center is located at 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd., in Cupertino. Tickets are $50, $35, and $15 student (with ID) and are available at the Flint Center Box Office, (408) 864-8816, Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and one and a half hours prior to show time, until a half hour after the program begins. Tickets may also be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlet locations including Wherehouse Music, Tower Records, and selected Rite Aid stores, by phone at (408) 998-TIXS, or online. More information is available online. Return to Front Page