Zakir Hussain plays the tabla. Photo courtesy of Jim Bennett

FOLSOM, CA (MPG) - Harris Center for the Arts presents five-time Grammy Award-winning tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain and TISRA on Wednesday, April 24, at 7:30 p.m.

Tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain is proud to present TISRA (three) with two of India’s finest young musicians, Sabir Khan and Debopriya Chatterjee. This unique trio is comprised of tabla, sarangi, and bansuri (bamboo flute), a combination not often heard on the classical stage. Sarangi and bansuri each have roots in ancient India and its mythology; both are also folk instruments.

 Zakir Hussain is a tabla virtuoso. Photo courtesy of Zakir Hussain

TISRA showcases the rich folk and classical traditions of the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Punjab. It is widely accepted that the musical influence of Rajasthani gypsies has been heard far beyond the borders of India, and that Uttar Pradesh incorporated the folk music forms of Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet into its music. This colorful mix combined with Indian classical music and the rich rhythm repertoire of Punjab makes for a compelling offering that TISRA now brings to audiences in the United States. Moreover, the trio intends to initiate a conversation between the sarangi, with its close resemblance to the human voice, and the bansuri, a breath instrument.

Zakir Hussain is the pre-eminent classical tabla virtuoso of our time and is appreciated as one of the world’s most esteemed and influential musicians, one whose mastery of his percussion instrument has taken it to a new level transcending cultures and national borders. Along with his legendary father and teacher, Ustad Allarakha, he has elevated the status of the tabla both in India and around the world.

The past year has been a banner year of recognition for the iconic musician/composer/cultural ambassador Zakir Hussain. The list of awards and accolades has been remarkable: The Kyoto Prize; the Aga Khan Lifetime Achievement Award; the Padma Vibhushan (the government of India’s 2nd highest civilian honor); Best Percussionist Awards by the Downbeat Critics Poll, The Downbeat Readers Poll, Modern Drummer’s Readers Poll, and the Jazz Journalists of America.

Additionally, he received three 2024 Grammy wins (adding to the two he already has): Best Global Music Album for This Moment (Shakti); and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, Best Global Performance for As We Speak (with Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer and Rakesh Chaurasia). Zakir is the first musician from India to win three Grammys at one Awards ceremony.

2023 was made even more memorable by the international tour of “Shakti50”, celebrating 50 years of the groundbreaking, boundary-defying and influential band founded by Zakir and legendary guitarist John McLaughlin.

Sabir Khan is one of India’s most talented and sought-after musicians of the present day. His instrument is the sarangi, a bowed instrument said to possess the sound closest to the human voice. He is the son of the great sarangi player/vocalist Padma Bhushan Ustad Sultan Khan, their family belonging to the Sikar gharana (school) of music, which has given several stalwarts to Indian classical music, including his great-grandfather Ustad Azim Khansahib, a court musician at Sikar in Rajasthan.

 Sabir Khan poses with a sarangi. Photo courtesy of Sabir Khan

Debopriya Chatterjee started her initial flute training under the guidance of the late Pandit Bholanath Prasanna Ji of Allahabad. Her quest to express the depth and richness of Hindustani classical music, and of her chosen instrument, the bansuri (bamboo flute), brought her to the feet of her guru, the great exponent of the Maihar Senia Gharana Padmavibhushan Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia.

 Debopriya Chatterjee plays the bansuri (bamboo flute). Photo courtesy of Debopriya Chatterjee

Individual tickets for TISRA range from $47-$82, including fees, and are on sale now at the Box Office at (916) 608-6888, or online at HarrisCenter.net. Box Office hours are Tuesday-Friday from 12 p.m. - 5 p.m., and one hour before showtime.