Indian musician Amjad Ali Khan announed as school’s first Artist in Residence

Indian classical musician Amjad Ali Khan will be the first Artist in Residence at the newly formed School of Global and International Studies.

Khan will visit the IU Bloomington campus Sept. 23 thru 27 as a guest of the Madhusudan and Kiran C. Dhar India Studies Program.

During his residency, Khan will teach a one-credit-hour course on Indian classical music and culture at the Dhar India Studies Program. The class will run through Sept. 25, concluding with a public demonstration.

According to an IU press release, Khan’s course will be very interactive. Students will be taught to understand the concepts of Indian classical music, covering topics such as forms of raga, or melodic modes, and taal, or rhythmic patterns.

Michael S. Dodson, director of the Dhar India Studies Program, said in the press release that he was thrilled to have Khan come to IU and work with students.

“He comes from a long lineage of hereditary musicians,” Dodson said. “He will demonstrate the way in which the elements of Indian classical music are transferred through the generations and how composition works in a traditional music form.”

The residency isn’t the only thing Khan will be doing while in Bloomington. He is also scheduled to perform at the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival, along with other members of his family. Khan’s performance is slated for Sept. 28 at 7 p.m.

According to the press release, Khan said he looks forward to his time spent in Bloomington and working with IU students.

“Through my residency at Indiana University, I would like to reach out to students with experience playing a musical instrument, including voice, from any musical tradition,” Khan said in the press release. “No previous experience with Indian music is
necessary. There is room for music beyond technical brilliance and firework mastery.”

-Carolyn Crowcroft