Bahauddin Dagar in Concert

Ustad Bahauddin Dagar is the world’s leading performer of dhrupad, the oldest living form of Indian classical music. Members of the Dagar family have practiced dhrupad in the Dagar vani style for at least twenty generations. Bahauddin’s father, Zia Mohiuddin Dagar, revolutionized dhrupad in the twentieth century by introducing its central instrument, the rudra veena—used for most of its history for accompaniment and private playing—as a solo instrument for public listening. Born in Mumbai in 1970, Bahauddin began studying sitar at age seven with his mother, Smt. Pramila Dagar, and later became a student of his father and his father’s brother, Zia Faridudin Dagar. Bahauddin has become acclaimed for his highly responsive playing style; expansive, prayerful sound; and commitment to Dagarvani’s engagement with European and American audiences, musicians and composers.

This performance is part of Bahauddin’s multi-year collaboration with FourOneOne, spanning rehearsals, master classes, publications, live performances, and cross-stylistic encounters with New York’s many audiences and creative communities.