Alam Khan, present day Khalifa of the Seni Maihar Gharana and son of the legendary late Sarod maestro, Swara Samrat Ustad Ali Akbar Khansahib, is a Sarodist, Composer, and Producer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since his initial training into the Maihar Seni Gharana (a classical tradition from India dating back to the 16th century) at the age of seven, Alam was blessed to learn and live under his esteemed father’s careful crafting and guidance. Since accompanying his father from 1996 to 2006, Alam has established himself internationally as the face of a new generation of Sarod players of the Maihar Gharana, and has performed alongside many of the finest Indian musicians of our time. His collaborations with both traditional and contemporary artists of varying genres has set him apart as a visionary and progressive artist.
Alam was the personal assistant to his father during his final years of life, helping aid him in teaching at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California–a mecca for students and lovers of Indian classical music. Since 2009, Alam has assumed the role of director of instrumental studies at the Ali Akbar College of Music, and currently teaches at the California Institute of the Arts, as well as the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He has dedicated his life to preserving, advancing, performing, and teaching this music to the world.
“It is my life’s mission to keep my lineages music alive and well, while expressing my unique identity. I am here to bridge centuries and create a space both timeless and accessible for the present, into the future.”
“I feel that my work is now a combination of maintaining my tradition and lineage, while at times going beyond it into the world of contemporary, and in the process leaving my stamp on the evolution of Sarod and it’s music.”
