'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
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Five areas Canada's foreign interference commissioner says needs more investigation
Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue released her interim report examining foreign election interference on Friday. Here are five elements of the issue that Hogue says she needs to further probe before she can make conclusions or recommendations.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
New weight-loss drug Wegovy not a 'magic bullet,' doctor warns
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Why your airfare may be getting more expensive
Skyrocketing airfare prices are linked to heightened competition and rising food and fuel, according to the CAA.
Manitoba man sentenced to house arrest for keeping fishing tournament funds meant for Children's Hospital Foundation
A Manitoba man who pleaded guilty to keeping the funds raised from an ice-fishing fundraiser for the Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba has been handed a sentence of 18 months house arrest.