Indian classical music superstars visit Birmingham conservatoire

Tabla supremo Zakir Hussain, acclaimed singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan, leading flautist Rakesh Chaurasia, and legendary keyboardist and producer Louiz Banks shared advice with students at the world-renowned centre of music.

They also met the the Indian consul general Dr Shashank Vikram and MP Preet Kaur Gill as part of the visit organised by BCU India and West Midlands India Partnership.

Shyam Naban, director of the West Midlands India Partnership, said: “We’re delighted to support the development of cultural and artistic links between the West Midlands region and India through interactions with global Indian maestros.

"We will continue to connect our board members with esteemed organisations in India as a part of our strategy to enhance relations as we celebrate the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and ‘India at 75’ this year."

The artists are known to hundreds of millions of fans both in their home country and across the globe.

Zakir Hussain, who alongside his late father Ustad Alla Rakha was largely responsible for popularising the tabla with Western audiences throughout the 1970s and 1980s, is a virtuoso musician who gave his first concert at the age of seven and was touring with the late sitar maestro Ravi Shankar in the US at 11 years old.

The musician has also recorded and performed with many notable Western musicians including George Harrison and Van Morrison.

Birmingham City University PhD candidate Jaspreet Singh said: “It was such a great experience to finally meet the Zakir Hussain.

"As a child I use to read about him in our general knowledge book. Being Kirtania – a person who sings holy hymns and who plays a traditional string instrument, it was very inspiring to meet and have a conversation with the best tabla player on the planet.”

The Four Aces, featuring Zakir Hussain, Shankar Mahadevan, Rakesh Chaurasia, and Louiz Banks, then performed at the Symphony Hall on Friday February 11.