Presented by Small World Music and Massey Hall

The pre-eminent classical tabla virtuoso of our time, Zakir Hussain 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. A child prodigy who began his international touring career by the age of eighteen, Zakir has been at the helm of many genre-defying collaborations including Shakti, Remember Shakti, Masters of Percussion, Planet Drum, Tabla Beat Science and Sangam. In February, 2024, Zakir made history by receiving three Grammys in one Grammy Awards Ceremony, the first musician from India to be thus honored.

As a composer, he has scored music for numerous feature films, and has composed four concertos, enjoying premieres and acclaimed performances in India, Europe and in the USA by the National Symphony Orchestra at Kennedy Center. He is the recipient of countless awards, including 5 Grammys, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Officier in France’s Order of Arts and Letters, and several honorary doctorates. Voted “Best Percussionist” by both the Downbeat Critics’ and Readers’ Polls and Modern Drummer’s Reader’s Poll over several years, including 2023, Zakir was honored with SFJazz’s Lifetime Achievement Award at their 2017 Gala for his “unparalleled contribution to the world of music”. In 2022, he was named the Kyoto Prize Laureate in Arts and Philosophy.

He is the founder and president of Moment Records, an independent record label presenting rare live concert recordings of Indian classical music and world music.

The current lineup for this performance is:
Zakir Hussain, tabla
Melissa Hie, djembe
Anantha Krishnan, mridangam & vibraphone
Shikhar Naad Qureshi, multi instrument percussionist
Sriram Ramesh, Khanjira
Featuring Tabla choir

This lineup is subject to change.