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Robert and Helene Browning celebrate 49 years of presenting world music & dance. "Their work set into motion nothing less than a seismic shift in the cultural terrain of New York City and beyond. " - The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage |
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SPRING 2026 CONCERTS
© Marina Rodriguez
Robert Browning Associates, Lotus Music & Dance, and Roulette in partnership with Flamenco Festival present
Ángeles Toledano
FLAMENCO FESTIVAL
Saturday, March 7, 2026 at 8:00pm
Ángeles Toledano, a rising star in flamenco, brings her powerful voice and fearless artistry to New York, presenting a show that combines tradition with innovation and captures the essence of flamenco in its purest and most daring form. MORE INFO...
Ángeles Toledano
FLAMENCO FESTIVAL
Saturday, March 7, 2026 at 8:00pm
Ángeles Toledano, a rising star in flamenco, brings her powerful voice and fearless artistry to New York, presenting a show that combines tradition with innovation and captures the essence of flamenco in its purest and most daring form. MORE INFO...
Photo of Brian Prunka by Aidan Grant
Robert Browning Associates, Lotus Music & Dance, and Roulette in association with Brooklyn Maqam present
Brian Prunka & Ayman Asfour
Explorations in Arabic Maqam
Friday, March 13, 2026 at 8:00pm
This evening features two of New York’s most distinctive and compelling composers of modern music rooted in the Arabic maqam tradition: oud (lute) player Brian Prunka, whose music has been described as “intricate, anthemic” and “spellbinding” (NY Music Daily) and the award-winning Egyptian violinist Ayman Asfour. MORE INFO...
Brian Prunka & Ayman Asfour
Explorations in Arabic Maqam
Friday, March 13, 2026 at 8:00pm
This evening features two of New York’s most distinctive and compelling composers of modern music rooted in the Arabic maqam tradition: oud (lute) player Brian Prunka, whose music has been described as “intricate, anthemic” and “spellbinding” (NY Music Daily) and the award-winning Egyptian violinist Ayman Asfour. MORE INFO...
Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi
Robert Browning Associates, Lotus Music & Dance, and Roulette present
Hamza Akram Qawwal & Brothers
Sufi Songs of Pakistan
Friday, April 10, 2026 at 8:00pm
Pakistan’s Hamza Akram Qawwal & Brothers, grandsons of the revered Munshi Raziuddin, return to Roulette after their mesmerizing performances in 2019, 2024, and 2025! They have been acclaimed for their riveting interpretations of qawwali, the ecstatic improvisational Sufi vocal tradition made famous in the West by the late Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. This award-winning ensemble represents the 26th generation of the seven centuries-old Qawwal Bachon ka Gharana of Delhi founded by Saamat bin Ibrahim, the first qawwal of the subcontinent and principal student of mystic Amir Khusrau. MORE INFO...
Hamza Akram Qawwal & Brothers
Sufi Songs of Pakistan
Friday, April 10, 2026 at 8:00pm
Pakistan’s Hamza Akram Qawwal & Brothers, grandsons of the revered Munshi Raziuddin, return to Roulette after their mesmerizing performances in 2019, 2024, and 2025! They have been acclaimed for their riveting interpretations of qawwali, the ecstatic improvisational Sufi vocal tradition made famous in the West by the late Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. This award-winning ensemble represents the 26th generation of the seven centuries-old Qawwal Bachon ka Gharana of Delhi founded by Saamat bin Ibrahim, the first qawwal of the subcontinent and principal student of mystic Amir Khusrau. MORE INFO...
Photos: (top) Arsineh Valladian; (bottom) Alena Soboleva
Robert Browning Associates, Lotus Music & Dance, and Roulette present
ARA DINKJIAN & ARSEN PETROSYAN
Masters of Armenian Music
Friday, April 17, 2026 at 8:00 pm
This entrancing evening of Armenian music features Ara Dinkjian, one of the world’s top oud (fretless lute) players, and duduk (ancient oboe) virtuoso Arsen Petrosyan. Dinkjian, who began his musical career by accompanying his father Onnik Dinkjian, a celebrated Armenian folk and liturgical singer, founded the acclaimed Night Ark quartet and has performed with The Secret Trio. MORE INFO...
ARA DINKJIAN & ARSEN PETROSYAN
Masters of Armenian Music
Friday, April 17, 2026 at 8:00 pm
This entrancing evening of Armenian music features Ara Dinkjian, one of the world’s top oud (fretless lute) players, and duduk (ancient oboe) virtuoso Arsen Petrosyan. Dinkjian, who began his musical career by accompanying his father Onnik Dinkjian, a celebrated Armenian folk and liturgical singer, founded the acclaimed Night Ark quartet and has performed with The Secret Trio. MORE INFO...
© Yannis Psathas
Robert Browning Associates, Lotus Music & Dance, and Roulette present
Vasilis Kostas
Contemporary & Traditional Music of Epirus, Greece:
World Premiere of Léna
Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 8:00pm
Vasilis Kostas is a Grammy-nominated laouto (long-necked fretted lute) player, composer and educator from Epirus, a mountainous region in northwestern Greece known for music with strong melodic lines and slow rhythms. He is internationally recognized for reintroducing the laouto, one of the most demanding instruments in the lute family, as a leading melodic voice in both traditional and contemporary music, and for his work with master pianist Danilo Pérez and the late legendary clarinetist Petroloukas Halkias, with whom he recorded two albums under the title The Soul of Epirus. MORE INFO...
Vasilis Kostas
Contemporary & Traditional Music of Epirus, Greece:
World Premiere of Léna
Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 8:00pm
Vasilis Kostas is a Grammy-nominated laouto (long-necked fretted lute) player, composer and educator from Epirus, a mountainous region in northwestern Greece known for music with strong melodic lines and slow rhythms. He is internationally recognized for reintroducing the laouto, one of the most demanding instruments in the lute family, as a leading melodic voice in both traditional and contemporary music, and for his work with master pianist Danilo Pérez and the late legendary clarinetist Petroloukas Halkias, with whom he recorded two albums under the title The Soul of Epirus. MORE INFO...
Robert Browning Associates, Lotus Music & Dance, and Roulette in association with Brooklyn Maqam present
Syrian Music Preservation Initiative
Music of Muhammed Qadri Dalal, Maqam Master of Aleppo
Friday, May 8, 2026 at 8:00pm
This program is dedicated to the music of Maestro Muhammed Qadri Dalal, the renowned oud (lute) virtuoso, composer, scholar, and iconic musical figure of Aleppo. Born in 1946, Dalal has performed with many of the most important traditional singers since the 1970s, including Sabah Fakhri, Sabri Mudallal, and Adib al-Dayekh. MORE INFO...
Syrian Music Preservation Initiative
Music of Muhammed Qadri Dalal, Maqam Master of Aleppo
Friday, May 8, 2026 at 8:00pm
This program is dedicated to the music of Maestro Muhammed Qadri Dalal, the renowned oud (lute) virtuoso, composer, scholar, and iconic musical figure of Aleppo. Born in 1946, Dalal has performed with many of the most important traditional singers since the 1970s, including Sabah Fakhri, Sabri Mudallal, and Adib al-Dayekh. MORE INFO...
© Mehdi Rostami
Robert Browning Associates, Lotus Music & Dance, and Roulette present
Amir Nojan & Pejman Hadadi
Persian Classical Music: “Whispers of the Dastgah”
Saturday, May 9, 2026 at 8:00pm
This entrancing program features two master musicians from Iran. Amir Nojan (setar – lute) studied with such eminent teachers as Dariush Talai, Jalal Zolfonoon and Mohammad Reza Lotfi, collaborated with renowned musicians Alim Qasimov, Shahram Nazeri, and Mojgan Shajarian, established the Nava Ensemble, and founded the Shiraz Arts Academy in California. Pejman Hadadi, one of the most innovative Iranian percussionists (tombak, def),is known for his work with Dastan and Zarbang, with which he made groundbreaking recordings ,as well as his performances with major artists from Iran and other cultures, including Ali Akbar Moradi, Hossein Alizadeh, Shahram Nazeri, Kayhan Kalhor, and Shujaat Khan. MORE INFO...
Amir Nojan & Pejman Hadadi
Persian Classical Music: “Whispers of the Dastgah”
Saturday, May 9, 2026 at 8:00pm
This entrancing program features two master musicians from Iran. Amir Nojan (setar – lute) studied with such eminent teachers as Dariush Talai, Jalal Zolfonoon and Mohammad Reza Lotfi, collaborated with renowned musicians Alim Qasimov, Shahram Nazeri, and Mojgan Shajarian, established the Nava Ensemble, and founded the Shiraz Arts Academy in California. Pejman Hadadi, one of the most innovative Iranian percussionists (tombak, def),is known for his work with Dastan and Zarbang, with which he made groundbreaking recordings ,as well as his performances with major artists from Iran and other cultures, including Ali Akbar Moradi, Hossein Alizadeh, Shahram Nazeri, Kayhan Kalhor, and Shujaat Khan. MORE INFO...
PAST CONCERTS
Robert Browning Associates, Lotus Music & Dance, and Roulette present
L. Shankar
with V. Selvaganesh, Amit Kavthekar & Swaminathan Selvaganesh
Indian Masters - Honoring Zakir Hussain
Saturday, September 27, 2025 at 8:00pm
Master violinist/vocalist/composer L. Shankar (aka Shenkar) is renowned for his deeply soulful performances of Indian classical music. Since playing his first solo concert at the age of seven, he has gone on to accompany many of South India’s leading vocalists and become a major soloist. In the 1970s, with John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain, Vikku Vinayakram and Ramnad Raghavan, he co-founded the legendary Indo-jazz group Shakti. In the 1980s, he introduced a 10-string double violin capable of covering the whole range of the orchestra’s string section from violin to double bass. MORE INFO...
L. Shankar
with V. Selvaganesh, Amit Kavthekar & Swaminathan Selvaganesh
Indian Masters - Honoring Zakir Hussain
Saturday, September 27, 2025 at 8:00pm
Master violinist/vocalist/composer L. Shankar (aka Shenkar) is renowned for his deeply soulful performances of Indian classical music. Since playing his first solo concert at the age of seven, he has gone on to accompany many of South India’s leading vocalists and become a major soloist. In the 1970s, with John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain, Vikku Vinayakram and Ramnad Raghavan, he co-founded the legendary Indo-jazz group Shakti. In the 1980s, he introduced a 10-string double violin capable of covering the whole range of the orchestra’s string section from violin to double bass. MORE INFO...
Diaspora Arts Connection
Robert Browning Associates, Lotus Music & Dance, and Roulette present
Kiran Ahluwalia
Diwali Celebration!
Friday, October 24, 2025 at 8:00pm
Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, signifies a victory of light over darkness and deals with themes of justice, peace, and happiness. Vocalist-composer and two-time Juno Award (Canadian Grammy) winner Kiran Ahluwalia, who has been noted for “her soul-stirring voice” and “fascinating, newly revealed music” in the Los Angeles Times, presents a powerful concert that celebrates Diwali. Her program, highlighting music from her latest album, Comfort Food, is filled with songs rejecting injustice, songs filled with hope for a just society, and songs embracing joy. MORE INFO...
Kiran Ahluwalia
Diwali Celebration!
Friday, October 24, 2025 at 8:00pm
Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, signifies a victory of light over darkness and deals with themes of justice, peace, and happiness. Vocalist-composer and two-time Juno Award (Canadian Grammy) winner Kiran Ahluwalia, who has been noted for “her soul-stirring voice” and “fascinating, newly revealed music” in the Los Angeles Times, presents a powerful concert that celebrates Diwali. Her program, highlighting music from her latest album, Comfort Food, is filled with songs rejecting injustice, songs filled with hope for a just society, and songs embracing joy. MORE INFO...
© Annie Diotte
WNYC GIG ALERT!
Robert Browning Associates, Lotus Music & Dance, and Roulette present
Le Vent du Nord
Music of Quebec: Celebrating the Launch of their New Album
Saturday, October 25, 2025 at 8:00pm
Known for its joyful and dynamic performances, Le Vent du Nord is a driving force of the Quebec progressive folk movement, as well as a leading group in the revival of traditional music in Quebec. Since its founding in 2002, it has performed more than 2,200 concerts on four continents, released 13 albums and received numerous prestigious awards, including a Grand Prix du Disque Charles Cros (France), and two Juno (Canadian Grammy) awards. MORE INFO...
Robert Browning Associates, Lotus Music & Dance, and Roulette present
Le Vent du Nord
Music of Quebec: Celebrating the Launch of their New Album
Saturday, October 25, 2025 at 8:00pm
Known for its joyful and dynamic performances, Le Vent du Nord is a driving force of the Quebec progressive folk movement, as well as a leading group in the revival of traditional music in Quebec. Since its founding in 2002, it has performed more than 2,200 concerts on four continents, released 13 albums and received numerous prestigious awards, including a Grand Prix du Disque Charles Cros (France), and two Juno (Canadian Grammy) awards. MORE INFO...
© Courtesy of the Artist
Robert Browning Associates, Lotus Music & Dance, and Roulette present
Oghlan Bakhshi
Journey Across the Steppes of Central Asia & Iran
Saturday, November 1, 2025 at 8:00pm
This concert features Oghlan Bakhshi in an entrancing program of Turkmen music – music that is rarely performed in the US. Oghlan Bakhshi, a virtuoso dutar (2-stringed lute) player and bard, trained under acclaimed masters and is the first indigenous Turkmen musician to present the rich Turkmen traditional arts to Western audiences. Recently he released his new album, Journey Across the Steppes, the first international release of Turkmen folk music in 30 years. MORE INFO...
Oghlan Bakhshi
Journey Across the Steppes of Central Asia & Iran
Saturday, November 1, 2025 at 8:00pm
This concert features Oghlan Bakhshi in an entrancing program of Turkmen music – music that is rarely performed in the US. Oghlan Bakhshi, a virtuoso dutar (2-stringed lute) player and bard, trained under acclaimed masters and is the first indigenous Turkmen musician to present the rich Turkmen traditional arts to Western audiences. Recently he released his new album, Journey Across the Steppes, the first international release of Turkmen folk music in 30 years. MORE INFO...
-Lotus Music & Dance in partnership with Robert Browning Associates present
WORLD DANCE FESTIVAL:
Dancing Across Cultural Borders
Japanese Folk Dance Institute of NY
Saung Budaya
Trinayan Odissi Dance Collective
Kinding Sindaw
Sunday, December 7, 2025 at 4:00pm
This annual dance festival, now celebrating its 10th anniversary, highlights a culturally diverse spectrum of distinctive expressions through music and dance. The program features two exciting collaborations: “Hidden Faces and the Harvest” performed by the Japanese Folk Dance Institute of NY led by Kevin Suzuki along with Saung Budaya led by Amalia Suryani performing Indonesian folk dances; and “Cross-Cultural Ramayana” performed by the Trinayan Odissi Dance Collective led by Bani Ray, along with Kinding Sindaw led by Potri Ranka Manis performing Southern Philippines indigenous and sultanate dances. MORE INFO...
WORLD DANCE FESTIVAL:
Dancing Across Cultural Borders
Japanese Folk Dance Institute of NY
Saung Budaya
Trinayan Odissi Dance Collective
Kinding Sindaw
Sunday, December 7, 2025 at 4:00pm
This annual dance festival, now celebrating its 10th anniversary, highlights a culturally diverse spectrum of distinctive expressions through music and dance. The program features two exciting collaborations: “Hidden Faces and the Harvest” performed by the Japanese Folk Dance Institute of NY led by Kevin Suzuki along with Saung Budaya led by Amalia Suryani performing Indonesian folk dances; and “Cross-Cultural Ramayana” performed by the Trinayan Odissi Dance Collective led by Bani Ray, along with Kinding Sindaw led by Potri Ranka Manis performing Southern Philippines indigenous and sultanate dances. MORE INFO...
2023/24 CONCERT VIDEOS
SPRING 2024
All our Winter/Spring 2024 concerts are now viewable on Youtube:
Hamza Akram Qawwal and Brothers Sufi Chants
Antonia Jimenez Inma La Carbonera A Gaya - Flamenco Festival 2024
Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba – Blues from Mali – return performance -by popular demand!
Ara Dinkjian, Arsen Petrosyan and String Quartet: Music of Armenia
Firas Zreik & Ensemble: New Journeys in Arabic Music
Shahid Parvez Indian Masters
Alam Khan - Indian Masters
Hamza Akram Qawwal and Brothers Sufi Chants
Antonia Jimenez Inma La Carbonera A Gaya - Flamenco Festival 2024
Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba – Blues from Mali – return performance -by popular demand!
Ara Dinkjian, Arsen Petrosyan and String Quartet: Music of Armenia
Firas Zreik & Ensemble: New Journeys in Arabic Music
Shahid Parvez Indian Masters
Alam Khan - Indian Masters
SPRING 2023
Five of the spring concerts are now viewable on Youtube:
Nibal Malshi
Rafael Riqueni
gamin
Bassekou Kouyate
Sahba Motallebi
Nibal Malshi
Rafael Riqueni
gamin
Bassekou Kouyate
Sahba Motallebi
IN MEMORIAM
© Evan Browning
Foday Musa Suso
February 18, 1950 – May 25, 2025
Kora (harp-lute) virtuoso Foday Musa Suso was a Mandingo griot (oral historian/praise singer) from Gambia known for his hypnotic performances of traditional Mandingo music, as well as for his cutting-edge musical encounters. He was a direct descendant of Jali Madi Wlen Suso, the griot who invented the kora over four centuries ago. He began to study the kora at age six, and became the first kora player to establish himself in the US. In 1977, he moved to Chicago and formed the Mandingo Griot Society with three American musicians (Adam Rudolph, Hamid Drake and Joseph Thomas), playing a fusion of traditional West African music, R&B, and jazz. He wrote many original compositions and toured and recorded with Herbie Hancock, Jack DeJohnette, Ginger Baker, and the Kronos Quartet, among others. He had a long collaboration with Philip Glass, with whom he appeared at major venues throughout the world and co-wrote the soundtrack for Powaqqatsi and the music for a revival of Jean Genet’s The Screens.
We presented him six times under the auspices of World Music Institute and Robert Browning Associates in concerts, both traditional and innovative, that we will long remember.
“one of the most important griots from West Africa on kora” – WNYC
New York Times obituary by Giovanni Russonello
February 18, 1950 – May 25, 2025
Kora (harp-lute) virtuoso Foday Musa Suso was a Mandingo griot (oral historian/praise singer) from Gambia known for his hypnotic performances of traditional Mandingo music, as well as for his cutting-edge musical encounters. He was a direct descendant of Jali Madi Wlen Suso, the griot who invented the kora over four centuries ago. He began to study the kora at age six, and became the first kora player to establish himself in the US. In 1977, he moved to Chicago and formed the Mandingo Griot Society with three American musicians (Adam Rudolph, Hamid Drake and Joseph Thomas), playing a fusion of traditional West African music, R&B, and jazz. He wrote many original compositions and toured and recorded with Herbie Hancock, Jack DeJohnette, Ginger Baker, and the Kronos Quartet, among others. He had a long collaboration with Philip Glass, with whom he appeared at major venues throughout the world and co-wrote the soundtrack for Powaqqatsi and the music for a revival of Jean Genet’s The Screens.
We presented him six times under the auspices of World Music Institute and Robert Browning Associates in concerts, both traditional and innovative, that we will long remember.
“one of the most important griots from West Africa on kora” – WNYC
New York Times obituary by Giovanni Russonello
© Elis Ribeirete
Ken Zuckerman
July 20, 1952 – February 26, 2025
Ken Zuckerman, one of the few Westerners playing Hindustani music to achieve recognition in India, was internationally acclaimed as a sarod (lute) virtuoso. A disciple of the legendary Ustad Ali Akbar Khan for 37 years, he performed with Maestro Khan in numerous concerts in Europe, India, and the US. He performed and recorded with some of India’s tabla (drums) masters, including Swapan Chaudhuri, Zakir Hussain and Anindo Chatterjee, and was at the vanguard of various cross-cultural projects, including the Grammy-nominated Diaspora Sefardi CD, and recordings with Persian tar player Hossein Alizadeh and medieval singer Dominique Vellard. He also made significant contributions to the development of India’s traditional instruments through various innovations and inventions. In addition to his extensive performance schedule, he directed the Ali Akbar College of Music in Switzerland for 39 years and taught North Indian classical music and the music of the Middle Ages at the Music Conservatory of Basel.
We presented him three times in the 1980s at the Alternative Museum, three times under the auspices of World Music Institute, and for the last time in October of 2017 accompanied by the dynamic tabla player Nitin Mitta. We remember him as a gentle soul whose moving and powerful performances entranced his listeners with his complete mastery of his instrument.
“phenomenal” -- Indian Express
July 20, 1952 – February 26, 2025
Ken Zuckerman, one of the few Westerners playing Hindustani music to achieve recognition in India, was internationally acclaimed as a sarod (lute) virtuoso. A disciple of the legendary Ustad Ali Akbar Khan for 37 years, he performed with Maestro Khan in numerous concerts in Europe, India, and the US. He performed and recorded with some of India’s tabla (drums) masters, including Swapan Chaudhuri, Zakir Hussain and Anindo Chatterjee, and was at the vanguard of various cross-cultural projects, including the Grammy-nominated Diaspora Sefardi CD, and recordings with Persian tar player Hossein Alizadeh and medieval singer Dominique Vellard. He also made significant contributions to the development of India’s traditional instruments through various innovations and inventions. In addition to his extensive performance schedule, he directed the Ali Akbar College of Music in Switzerland for 39 years and taught North Indian classical music and the music of the Middle Ages at the Music Conservatory of Basel.
We presented him three times in the 1980s at the Alternative Museum, three times under the auspices of World Music Institute, and for the last time in October of 2017 accompanied by the dynamic tabla player Nitin Mitta. We remember him as a gentle soul whose moving and powerful performances entranced his listeners with his complete mastery of his instrument.
“phenomenal” -- Indian Express
Ira Landgarten©2002
Zakir Hussain
March 9, 1951 – December 15, 2024
We were shocked and deeply saddened to hear of the death of the legendary tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, one of the giants of Indian and world music. From 1979 to 2010, under the auspices of the Alternative Center for International Arts (ACIA), the Alternative Museum, and World Music Institute, we presented him 49 times. At our events, he performed with such luminary artists as Ali Akbar Khan, Shivkumar Sharma, L Shankar, Vilayat Khan, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pandit Jasraj, Alla Rakha, L Subramaniam, and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and led his exciting Masters of Percussion series. He was so much a part of our work and everything we stood for and believed in. He brought joy to all his concerts and an amazing genius to all his musical endeavors.
The foremost disciple of his father, Alla Rakha, he was a child prodigy who began his professional career at the age of 12. He was one of the world’s most influential musicians and made many groundbreaking collaborations, including Shakti, Remember Shakti, and an ensemble with Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer. He developed a dialogue between North and South Indian musicians, and elevated the status of his instrument both in India and globally. For his remarkable musical contributions, he was honored with the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, and the Padmi Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awards. In 1999, he received the NEA’s National Heritage Fellowship, this country’s highest honor in the traditional arts, and this year he received three Grammy awards. In addition to performing, he composed music for numerous films, acted in the Merchant Ivory film Heat and Dust, and, as an educator, conducted many workshops and lectures each year.
“If people all over the world would consider interacting with each other the way the musicians and the artists all over the world interact with each other, we would have a much more peaceful planet.” Zakir Hussain interview in India Today.
New York Times obituary by Jon Pareles
March 9, 1951 – December 15, 2024
We were shocked and deeply saddened to hear of the death of the legendary tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, one of the giants of Indian and world music. From 1979 to 2010, under the auspices of the Alternative Center for International Arts (ACIA), the Alternative Museum, and World Music Institute, we presented him 49 times. At our events, he performed with such luminary artists as Ali Akbar Khan, Shivkumar Sharma, L Shankar, Vilayat Khan, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pandit Jasraj, Alla Rakha, L Subramaniam, and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and led his exciting Masters of Percussion series. He was so much a part of our work and everything we stood for and believed in. He brought joy to all his concerts and an amazing genius to all his musical endeavors.
The foremost disciple of his father, Alla Rakha, he was a child prodigy who began his professional career at the age of 12. He was one of the world’s most influential musicians and made many groundbreaking collaborations, including Shakti, Remember Shakti, and an ensemble with Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer. He developed a dialogue between North and South Indian musicians, and elevated the status of his instrument both in India and globally. For his remarkable musical contributions, he was honored with the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, and the Padmi Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awards. In 1999, he received the NEA’s National Heritage Fellowship, this country’s highest honor in the traditional arts, and this year he received three Grammy awards. In addition to performing, he composed music for numerous films, acted in the Merchant Ivory film Heat and Dust, and, as an educator, conducted many workshops and lectures each year.
“If people all over the world would consider interacting with each other the way the musicians and the artists all over the world interact with each other, we would have a much more peaceful planet.” Zakir Hussain interview in India Today.
New York Times obituary by Jon Pareles