Ali Akbar Khan

The celebrated Indian sarod virtuoso, Ali Akbar Khan, was originally born in Bangladesh. In the early 1940s, he accepted an appointment as court musician for the royal family of Jodhpur, which led to numerous public appearances, increased popularity, and the title "Ustad" (master musician). In the 1950s Khan opened his own music school in Calcutta, and then moved to the United States to teach in the mid-1960s, where he has since remained. He has performed frequently with Ravi Shankar (his former brother-in-law), recorded extensively, and has received India’s Padma Vibhushan award, as well as grants from the NEA and the MacArthur Foundation, among numerous other honors.