Date: January 17, 2018
Time: 6.30 pm onwards
Venue: Chandrasekhar Auditorium, ICTS, Bangalore
Rafique Khan (Sitarist)
Bio: Rafique Khan was born in Dharwad into an illustrious family of accomplished musicians belonging to the Dharwad Gharana. His father, the late Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, was a distinguished sitarist of his time; while his grandfather, the late “Sitar Ratna” Ustad Rahimat Khan was accredited for adding the base octave in the sitar.
With such a lineage, spanning seven generations of his family, it is no surprise that the young Rafique Khan took to the sitar at the tender age of nine. He blossomed under the skilful and caring tutelage of his father and also received lessons from his elder Brother Ustad Bale Khan. He received special lessons in “Gayaki Ang” from his uncle Ustad Dastagir Khan. He passed his music exams from Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Mumbai and graduated in Philosophy from the University of Goa.
Rafique Khan has performed at different centres all over India. His performances have been acclaimed at prestigious music concerts like Sawai Gandharva Music festival Pune, Master Dinanath Mangeshkar Sangeeth Sammelan (Goa), Swami Haridas Sangeeth Samaroh and Kalke-Kalakar (Bombay) and ‘Arambh’ Music Festival (Bhopal).
It is to the credit of Rafique Khan that he has won the prestigious “Sur Mani Award” from Sur Singar Samsad, Mumbai, at the young age of 23 years; a feat not accomplished my many, he has been honoured with”Jaycee’s OYP award “and receipent of “SANDESHA Music award” He has been awarded Top grade by All India Radio Audition Board and has broadcast four of his recitals on their National Programmes. He is the first sitarist to to receive top grade from the south of India
Rafique Khan is an empanelled artist of ICCR and recently he was sent on tour to Japan In collaboration with Italian Institute of Culture,
One of the unique characteristics of his playing is that he preserves the purity of the raag and maintains the balance of the two mixed styles in “Gayaki Ang” and “Tantakari Ang”. His self-discipline and devotion to music is evident in the fact that he has mastered the “Gamak Taans”, which is considered to be the most difficult technique on the sitar. His command over the finger board is exemplary. The music that he produces is pure melody. Audiences are enthralled by the movements of his nimble fingers on each note he plays.
At present he is on the staff at All India Radio. Rafique is a warm, unassuming person with an infectious smile.
Some of the prestigious concerts:
- Sawai Gandharva Music Festival, Pune
- Shahu Maharaj Sangeet Mahotsav, Kolhapur
- Performed Jugalbandhi along with Grammy Award winner
- Pt. Vishwamohan Bhat at Bangalore & Mangalore
- 93rd Birthday Celebration of Padmabhushan
- Dr. Gangubai Hanagal, Hubli
- 22nd Manmohan Bhat Sangeeth Samaroh, Jaipur
- Performed Jugalbandhi with Pt. Ronu Majumdar at
- Mysore & Bangalore
- Performed Jugalbandhi with Vidwan Mysore Manjunath And Vidwan Mysore Nagraj
Rafique khan has also Toured European and Gulf Countries Several Times and Participated in Prestigious Indian Music Festivals, Recently He Went on a World Tour with world renowned music group SOORYA.
Muthu Kumar (Tabla)
Bio: With over 20 years in the music industry, Muthu Kumar has made a niche for himself as a percussionist par excellence. Having studied under legends Ustad Allarakha and Ustad Zakir Hussain, Muthu has traveled around the globe many times and performed on many prestigious stages and festivals. He has accompanied the likes of Alice Coltrane, Maynard Ferguson, John Barnes, Bill Laswell, Dana Gillespie, Bombay Jayashree, Mandolin U. Rajesh and Lucky Ali to name a few.
He is the founder of Rhythm Shala - a school for Indian percu ssions. Muthu is one of the pioneers in the field of Online Tabla learning with more than 50 students around the globe. Muthu has collaborated with musicians around the world, across genres. He has recorded on numerous albums. He is the founder of popular bands - Mystik Vibes and Atmic Vision.