Oct. 2, 1997
KALAMAZOO -- A renowned Indian artist will perform at Western Michigan University Friday and Saturday, Oct. 10-11.
Ustad Asad Ali Khan, who plays the rudra veena, the oldest classical instrument of India, will present a concert at 3 p.m. Saturday in the Dalton Center Recital Hall. He also will lead a lecture-demonstration at 4 p.m. Friday in Room 1115 of the Dalton Center.
The lecture-demonstration is free and open to the public, while tickets to the concert are $8 for adults, $4 for students and free for children under 18.
The rudra veena's history dates back 5,000 years. Considered the forerunner to the sitar, the instrument has a bamboo fret board about 22 inches long mounted on two full gourds. It has four main strings and three side strings, and a range of four to four and a half octaves.
Khan comes from a long line of musicians reaching back seven generations to the 18th century. He is one of very few musicians today who plays the rudra veena. A faculty member at the University of Delhi, he also has taught in the United States. He has earned a number of honors, including the most distinguished accolade in India for a musician.
His appearance on the campus is being presented by the local Indo-American Cultural Center and Temple and sponsored by WMU's Department of History, School of Music and South Asian Studies Committee. For more information, persons may contact Dr. Allen Zagarell, associate professor of anthropology and chairperson of the South Asian Studies Committee, at 616 387-3978.
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