The 17th Annual Birthday Tribute to Maestro Ali Akbar Khan features two powerful ensembles honoring the late Maestro’s legacy.

Led by Alam Khan, the evening’s featured performance brings together a chamber ensemble of some of the Bay Area’s foremost exponents of Maestro Ali Akbar Khan's legacy and the Maihar Gharana — his sons Alam and Manik Khan (Sarod) alongside disciple Arjun Verma (Sitar) — joined by Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri (Tabla), Khansahib’s trusted accompanist from 1981 until the end of his performance career.

The evening opens with the vibrant energy of the AACM Tabla Ensemble, composed and directed by Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri — one of the greatest Tabla masters in the world, whose knowledge and virtuosity have guided tabla students at the Ali Akbar College of Music for more than 44 years.

A joyful evening of tradition, improvisation, and the living spirit of Khansahib’s music.

Manik Khan: Manik has been steeped in the ancient melodies of North Indian classical music since birth. The youngest son of the legendary Sarod maestro, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, he grew up listening to his father in countless concerts and attending his classes at the esteemed Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California. He initially studied tabla under the guidance of Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, but the greater call to follow in the footsteps of his family brought Manik, at the age of 13, to formally train on the Sarod with his father. He spent his formative years accompanying his father on stage, touring for the last decade of his father's extensive and iconic performance career. Manik's own solo career has brought him throughout India, South America, and the United States.

Hasan Imam Hamdani: Hasan Imam is a Pakistani-American composer and guitar player who serves as the driving force behind the collaborative global music ensemble, Imam Collective. In 2022, Imam Collective released its debut E.P ""Solitude"" under the Australian label “Worlds Within Worlds” an exploration into the richness of West African and Indian Classical Music. Hasan Imam’s repertoire for solo guitar showcases the breadth of his influences and his innovation in adapting various music styles to the guitar. An ardent educator, Hasan Imam is part of the music faculty at Montgomery College where he gives lectures on World Music and American Music History.

RootStock @ Wyldflower: Manik Khan & Imam Hamdani

WyldFlowr Arts
809 37th St, Oakland, CA 94608
Doors 7pm, Show at 7:30pm

Manik Khan: Manik has been steeped in the ancient melodies of North Indian classical music since birth. The youngest son of the legendary Sarod maestro, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, he grew up listening to his father in countless concerts and attending his classes at the esteemed Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California. He initially studied tabla under the guidance of Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, but the greater call to follow in the footsteps of his family brought Manik, at the age of 13, to formally train on the Sarod with his father. He spent his formative years accompanying his father on stage, touring for the last decade of his father's extensive and iconic performance career. Manik's own solo career has brought him throughout India, South America, and the United States.

Hasan Imam Hamdani: Hasan Imam is a Pakistani-American composer and guitar player who serves as the driving force behind the collaborative global music ensemble, Imam Collective. In 2022, Imam Collective released its debut E.P ""Solitude"" under the Australian label “Worlds Within Worlds” an exploration into the richness of West African and Indian Classical Music. Hasan Imam’s repertoire for solo guitar showcases the breadth of his influences and his innovation in adapting various music styles to the guitar. An ardent educator, Hasan Imam is part of the music faculty at Montgomery College where he gives lectures on World Music and American Music History.

Part of the Festival of Sacred Music Series

Join us for the third in a series of sacred music celebrations at Commonweal, presented in collaboration with long-time Commonweal friend Toby Symington, executive director of the Lloyd Symington Foundation and transpersonal astrologer. Held at the solstice and equinox, the concerts—and gatherings afterward—are designed to bring people together in a convivial setting around music which delights, inspires, and elevates the soul.

From Toby: “We are very fortunate to have as our guest artists for the summer solstice concert two superb musicians, Manik Khan and Hasan Imam Hamdani.  Manik, the youngest son of the great Indian maestro Ali Akbar Khan, is a master of the sarod. For Manik music is not only the vibration of the Divine but also a powerful path to self-realization. Imam is a master of the guitar with a wide-ranging repertoire of global scope. In performance they produce the most beautiful and harmonious tones made even more compelling by their deep friendship and effortless rapport.”

Join us for the concert, followed by food and pre-dinner snacks in Gallery Commonweal.

For Tickets:
https://www.tfaforms.com/4917462?eventid=a16Nr000003rFATIA2