PRESS COMMENTS
“Profound and electrifying… pure exhilaration, taking tradition as a blueprint for ecstasy”
– New York Times
“Etherial, compelling, sensual, Nishat Khan master of the sitar”
– Los Angeles Times
“Freewheeling virtuosity inflected with infinite imaginative variety”
– BBC Proms, The Guardian
“Ferociously gifted… no conceivable limitations… his sitar roars, cries, and exults”
– Times of India
NISHAT KHAN BIOGRAPHY
With the strike of a single, unmistakable note, the sound of Nishat Khan’s sitar instantly captivates and transforms one’s mood. Listeners are transported to another realm by a sight and sound unlike any other. As the current torchbearer of the most recorded musical family in the world, 400 years of family tradition and eight generations of musical history reside in his fingertips. While grounded in centuries of tradition, Nishat forges his own signature sound with a refreshing twist: familiar yet challenging, unfolding with emotional contrasts and surprises at every turn.
Having lived and toured all over the world continuously since age 13, his unique cosmopolitan perspective has inspired a great sensitivity and connection to the philosophies and musics of the world. In addition to his solo works, Nishat’s dedication to uniting the cultures of east and west has fostered collaborations with renowned artists such as Philip Glass to Evelynn Glennie, Paco Peña, John McLaughlin, Vanessa May, the BBC Singers, the Ephraim Choir from Budapest, and Vox Clamantis from Estonia.
Nishat gave his first public concert at age 7, and was the youngest performer on an All India Radio national programme at age 15. Opening for the 100 Years of Indian Cinema celebration, he played his original live score for the classic 1920’s silent film Throw of Dice. He has been invited three times to the BBC Proms at Royal Albert Hall: as a soloist, premiering his Sitar Concerto No. 1 “Gate of the Moon” with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and for his Gregorian Chants project with the BBC Singers. He has performed at major festivals and venues internationally, including the Ravinia Festival alongside the likes of Luciano Pavarotti, the Crossroads Guitar Festival where he was invited by Eric Clapton, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Suntory Hall in Tokyo for the Japanese Parliament, and he regularly performs at the South Bank and Barbican Center. Some of his recent concerts include the MIT’s Kresge Auditorium and the Virée Classical Music Festival with the Orchestra Symphony of Montreal in 2019. In 2018, he performed at the Lugano Opera House in Switzerland and debuted his Sitar Concerto No. 1 with the Seattle Symphony. He was also featured in three concerts at the Aldeburgh Festival in 2017.
In 2021 he premiered a specially commissioned piece for members of the Royal family, a duet with one of the world’s leading artists, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason. Returning to the stage in November 2021 he performed to a full house at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.
His latest concerts in 2023-24 include Theatre de la Ville, Paris, Symphony Space New York, Festival Dijon, Carnegie Hall and Royal Festival Hall, and an India tour.
In October he performed his orchestral Sitar Concerto at the Royal Opera House, Muscat, in Oman to wide critical accclaim.