Ayaan Ali Khan

Ayaan Ali Bangash represents the seventh generation of a musical lineage known as the Senia Bangash School. The younger son and disciple of the Sarod Maestro Amjad Ali Khan, Ayaan stepped into the world of music and the Sarod, at a very early age, with confidence, clarity, consistency and technical mastery all of which he learnt at his father's knees. Ayaan gave his solo debut when he was eight years old and has been performing concerts in India and abroad, since then. He has also assisted his illustrious father at concerts all over the world. Over the years today, Ayaan has carved out a special niche for himself in the world of music. His approach, vision and versatility make him an icon for the youth in the music industry. His contribution in making the Sarod a cross-over instrument in a variety of genres has projected him as an artist of high repute. Ayaan has won the hearts of music lovers both in India and abroad. He made his UK debut in 1989 and US Debut in 1991 at the Asia Society in New York. From 1997 onwards Ayaan has performed regularly at the Carnegie Hall and Smithsonian in the US; Palais Beaux-Arts in Brussels; Chicago Symphony Center, ESPLANADE in Singapore; Summer Arts Festival in Seattle; and at the Edinburgh Music Festival and the Royal Festival Hall in London. He made his debut tour to Australia in 2003. Ayaan has played concerts at the WOMAD Festival in Adelaide and New Plymouth, World Beat Festival in Brisbane and at the Opera House in Sydney. Ayaan performed for HRH the Prince of Wales at St. James Palace for the Temenos Academy in 1997. In 2000, Ayaan joined his father at the Dalai Lamas Sacred Music Festival inauguration in New Delhi From 2000 to 2001, Ayaan hosted a very popular music and talent show air on Zee TV called Sa Re Ga Ma, with his brother, Amaan. In November 2002, Ayaan co-authored a book with his brother, Amaan titled Abba-Gods Greatest Gift to us. This book was on his fathers life and was published by Roli Books, Lustre Publications under the Family Pride Series. Ayaan collaborated with the noted Cellist Mathew Barley of UK at the Royal Festival Hall in 2002. In July 2002, Ayaan conducted a workshop for the National Youth Orchestra of UK with Matthew Barley which was followed by a concert with the NYO. Over the years Ayaan has performed at Konzerthaus in Vienna; Symphony Hall in Birmingham; Bridgewater Hall in Manchester; Recital Hall in 2005, The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam; and the Centre d`Art Contemporain in Geneva and the UN International Labour Organisation auditorium, Geneva in 2006. In 2003, Ayaan performed for Prince Charles at his High Grove Estate for Temenos Academy. In the following years Ayaan played at the Symphony Hall in Fukuoka and New Yorks Town Hall. In 2005 he composed the music score for Roger Christians film American Daylight. He played at the Metropolitan Museum in 2012 and Salisbury Festival in UK in 2005, among other venues across the world. In 2005 Ayaan collaborated with Guitarist Dereck Truks of the Allman Brothers band at the Savannah Festival. In the same year, he also recorded with Real World Records and featured in one solo track in his fathers album Moksha. In July 2006 Ayaan collaborated with Evelyn Glennie at Queen Elisabeth Hall. Bestowed with the MTVs Lycra Award for the Most Stylish person in Music in 2006, Ayaan was honoured by the Mayor of the City of Tulsa, Oklahoma with the Keys to the City along with an Honorary Citizenship and the Bharat Shiromani Award for Instrumental music in 2007. He also performed at the Central Hall of the Indian Parliament on the commemoration of India's 60th year of Independence in 2007. In 2009, Ayaan played at the United Nations in New York in presence of Ban Ki Moon to commemorate the Ode to Peace Concert along with his father. In 2011 a collaborative project between folk singer songwriter Carrie Newcomer premiered called Everything Is Everywhere at Lotus Arts Festival in Bloomington. The project with Amjad Ali Khan, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash released on Light Records. Ayaan played the same year at The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. Ayaans concert at Wigmore Hall along with his father released under the Live at Wigmore Hall series was recorded in 2010. In 2010 Ayaan and Amaan, released their second book titled 50 Maestros 50 Recordings which was published by Harper Collins. In 2012, Ayaan starred in a PETA advertisement strumming his sarod against a backdrop of birds flying freely across the sky,next to the words "Bring Harmony to Birds' Lives - Let Birds Fly Free". The advertisement was against the caging of birds . In 2013, Ayaan performed the Ananta Opus 195, along with his father and brother. This was a concerto for the sarod, symphonic and electronic orchestra written by Pierre Thilloy in collaboration with Avignon Provence Symphonic Orchestra and the Kords Collective, conducted by Samuel Jean that premiered in India. Amaan and Ayaan composed two customised special albums New Delhi in 2011 and Raga in 2013 for The Leela Palaces Hotels and Resorts. In 2013 Ayaan recently performed in his fathers Sarod Concert Samaagam with the London Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by David Murphy. Ayaan also presented his fathers Sarod Concerto Samaagam with the London Philharmonia Orchestra with conductor David Murphy in 2013. Same year saw concerts at Duke University, NC and Hill Auditorium, University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The same year, he also performed with his father and brother and Oudist Rahim Alhaj for Amjad Ali Khans Grammy Nominated project, Ancient Sounds at Kirkland Center of Performing Arts and Chicago World Music Festival and the same year he performed at Lisbons Gulbenkian Msica. In 2014, Ayaan had a week long residence with his father at Indiana University Bloomington. They were the first residents of the first School of Global and International Studies Artist at this University. He also toured with the Britten Sinfonia, one of the world's most celebrated and pioneering ensembles; performed at WOMAD Festival at Charlton Park, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England; and performed at The Getty Center in Los Angeles under its annual concert series Sounds of L.A., in 2014. In 2014, Amjad Ali Khan, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash performed at the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Oslo, Norway on as well as the Nobel Peace Prize Concert along with the lineup of Queen Latifa, Steven Tyler, Nuno Bettencourt and Laura Mvula. Along with his many solo classical albums, Ayaan has crossed the bridge between Indian music and a variety of genres with his electronica and lounge albums like Reincarnation, Truth, Mysic Dunes, Passion and Dreamz. He also released two albums titled The Music Room and Sarod Symphony with his father and guru in 2010. The latest album Rang - Colours of Sufism was released in March 2012 featuring Amaan and Ayaans interpretations of traditional Qawwalis on the Sarod. In 2013, their new project Headwaters released. The collaboration is with Malcolm Dalglish, a renowned Hammered Dulcimer player from the US. A project, with its interplay of ancient voices and images. In 2014, Ayaan co-founded Sarod Records with Amaan that releases their music exclusively on iTunes. Iraqi oud virtuoso and composer Rahim AlHaj and the Khans once again joined together to release a modern string masterpiece performed on ancient instruments. Their new CD Infinite Hope on UR Music follows their Grammy-nominated 2010 release Ancient Sounds . Infinite Hope is a continuation of a journey that reaches out to all individuals, groups or foundations that want peace, harmony, forgiveness and reconciliation. This project wishes to have music shape the consciousness in a way that contributes to oneness. In 2015, sarod virtuosos Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash joined forces with American violinist Elmira Darvarova to create a unique collaboration. The first fruit of this meeting was their recording, SOUL STRINGS released by Naxos, a bridge across which their respective traditions were carried whole and uncompromised. What that first album suggested subtly, about this daring, supercha