'Just a humble custodian of this art form': Quartet from India teaching Calgary students at Arts Commons
Ayann Ali Bangash grew up in a musical family and has been playing an instrument as long as he can remember.
He's the son of Maestro Amjad Ali Khan and in Calgary for a one-day performance of their show, Strings for Peace, at Arts Commons on March 22.
Ali Bangash is passionate about playing the sarod and showing others the music it makes.
But a day before the group hits the stage, he's making time to spend with Grade 4 students from Bayside Elementary School.
"It's just so wonderful to interact with children," Ali Bangash said.
"Because I think they are the most innocent and pure energy to have around you and they're extremely smart. I'm quite comfortable with this age group but it's always interesting to hear what they're going to ask next, because they come up with the most random and amazing and the most deep kinds of questions."
Ali Bangash is the seventh generation of his family to play the sarod.
He's played for audiences worldwide and recently played five cities in India with his 10-year-old twins.
"The sarod was modified from a folk instrument that came from Central Asia called the rebab and that found its way in Persia and is still played all around the Middle East and that moved to India and I think around the time of the Industrial Revolution," he said.
"It's less tangy than the sitar. It has a more deeper resonance and it has a kind of a more low end, so obviously, but it has a special sound."
His dad is credited with reinventing the technique of playing the sarod.
"Over the course of a distinguished career spanning more than six decades, Amjad Ali Khan has won numerous accolades including a Grammy nomination, the Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum, Unicef's National Ambassadorship and the Fukuoka Cultural grand prize," Ali Khan's biography reads.
"Ali Khan has made regular appearances at concert halls all over the world including Carnegie Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Sydney Opera House, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Esplanade Singapore, the Kennedy Center and Symphony Center in Chicago."
According to his biography, he has "performed at festivals worldwide including the Hong Kong Arts Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, WOMAD, World Beat Festival, Enescu Festival Bucharest and the BBC Proms, as well as for prestigious organizations such as the United Nations, UNESCO, World Arts Summit and for the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Oslo in 2014."
Ali Bangash says he's honoured to be able to not only learn from his father but to play on stage with him.
"I'm very fortunate for the very fact that just sitting alongside him on stage is a blessing, let alone playing together," he said.
"But I'm just a humble custodian of this art form. We're trying to take this forward with dignity, grace and humility."
Ali Bangash will be joined on stage by his father, brother Amaan and tabla player Amit Kavthekar, along with Juilliard School guitar department founder Sharon Isbin at Arts Commons on March 22 at 7:30 pm.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Special rapporteur Johnston rejects call to 'step aside' after majority of MPs vote for him to resign
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's efforts to assure Canadians that his government is adequately addressing the threat of foreign interference took a hit on Wednesday, when the majority of MPs in the House of Commons voted for special rapporteur David Johnston to 'step aside,' a call Johnston quickly rejected.

'I heard a cracking noise': 16 children, 1 adult injured in platform collapse at Winnipeg's Fort Gibraltar
Seventeen people – most of whom are young students – were hospitalized after a falling from a height during a field trip at Winnipeg's Fort Gibraltar. However, many of the children are now being discharged and sent home, according to an update from the hospital.
Engaged couple shot dead days before moving out of house near Hamilton
An engaged couple was shot dead while fleeing their landlord near Hamilton just days before they were scheduled to move out of their apartment.
Federal Court of Appeal: Canada not constitutionally obligated to bring home suspected ISIS fighters
The Government of Canada has won its appeal and will not be legally forced to repatriate four Canadian men from prisons in Northeast Syria.
Canadian consumer debt hits all-time high, reaching $2.32 trillion in Q1 2023: TransUnion
Amid interest rate hikes and high inflation, more Canadians are turning to credit for relief, with consumer debt hitting a new record in the first quarter of 2023.
Canada closing in on deal to get Stellantis battery plant back on track: Champagne
A deal to save a $5-billion electric vehicle battery plant in Windsor is inching closer, Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said Wednesday.
Health Canada recalls Arora Cookwares clay cooking pot with lid over burn hazards
Arora cookwares clay cooking pots were recalled by the federal health agency over burn and injury risks.
House moving to midnight sittings as Liberals blame Conservatives for stalling agenda
It's that time of year again where MPs will be sitting until midnight until the House rises in late June, as the federal government pushes to pass as many bills as it can before the summer legislative hiatus. On Wednesday, Government House Leader Mark Holland announced that the Commons will be working late 'every single night … from here until the finish.'
Medication shortage in Canada led to increased dosing errors in children, new study shows
A new study has found that dosing errors in children increased during the Canada-wide shortage of paediatric fever and pain medication last year.