Upcoming Events
Salar Nader Quartet (private Event)
The Salar Nader Quartet featuring Rajib Karmakar on Sitar, Alfredo Caceres on Guitar, and Vaneeth Nand on Vocals and harmonium.
The Freight | The AFGHAN MUSIC PROJECT
https://tickets.worldclassmusic.live/events/wcml/2301957
Afghan tabla virtuoso Salar Nader curates a program of the rich and varied legacy of classical compositions and folk melodies of this ancient Central Asian nation.
At the heart of this musical odyssey lies the enchanting sounds of the rûbab, Afghanistan's revered 21-stringed lute, renowned for its hauntingly soulful timbre. Accompanied by the tabla's rhythmic pulse, Salar's innovative fusion of Afghan and Indian percussion draws out the musical parallels with Hindustani music, exploring the essence of Ragas and the profound connection between two diverse yet harmonious traditions.
Salar Nader, disciple of the legendary Ustad Zakir Hussain, has toured extensively with NEA Jazz Master Stanley Clarke, appeared on Broadway with “The Kite Runner,” and took part in a series of recordings of the music of Afghanistan and Central Asia sponsored by Aga Khan Music Initiative for the Smithsonian Folkways label.
Quraishi Roya is a legendary master and composer of the Rubab, Afghanistan's national instrument. A self-taught musician originally from Kabul, he is widely celebrated for keeping the rich tradition of classical Afghan court music and regional folk styles alive.
In a time when music has been banned in Afghanistan, the music of these master musicians serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience and importance of preserving cultural heritage.
The afghan Music Project
Afghan tabla virtuoso Salar Nader curates a program of the rich and varied legacy of classical compositions and folk melodies of this ancient Central Asian nation.
At the heart of this musical odyssey lies the enchanting sounds of the rûbab, Afghanistan's revered 21-stringed lute, renowned for its hauntingly soulful timbre. Accompanied by the tabla's rhythmic pulse, Salar's innovative fusion of Afghan and Indian percussion draws out the musical parallels with Hindustani music, exploring the essence of Ragas and the profound connection between two diverse yet harmonious traditions.
Salar Nader, disciple of the legendary Ustad Zakir Hussain, has toured extensively with NEA Jazz Master Stanley Clarke, appeared on Broadway with “The Kite Runner,” and took part in a series of recordings of the music of Afghanistan and Central Asia sponsored by Aga Khan Music Initiative for the Smithsonian Folkways label.
Quraishi Roya is a legendary master and composer of the Rubab, Afghanistan's national instrument. A self-taught musician originally from Kabul, he is widely celebrated for keeping the rich tradition of classical Afghan court music and regional folk styles alive.
In a time when music has been banned in Afghanistan, the music of these master musicians serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience and importance of preserving cultural heritage.
Sandhi - Rukhmani Mehta featuring Salar Nader & Jayanta banerji
Sandhi — in Sanskrit, a charged threshold, a meeting point between states — is Rukhmani Mehta's personal exploration of the traditional Kathak solo as an opening or gateway, performed with acclaimed musical artists Jayanta Banerjee on sitar and Salar Nader on tabla. Kathak invites us into a world: the sacred temples of ancient India, the grandeur of the Mughal courts, the ecstatic longing of the Bhakti saints, the songs of the courtesans, the stories of gods and goddesses that have traveled across time. Sandhi is where three currents meet: the story of India and her people, the story of Kathak itself, and the story of one artist at the threshold of both. Here, the ancient and the immediate collapse into one another — and in that collision, artist and audience find themselves changed, remade by an encounter with the living, the sacred, and the eternal.
Rukhmani Mehta is a Kathak artist, choreographer, and educator whose work has shaped the landscape of Indian classical dance in the United States for over two decades. Both lineage bearer and contemporary voice, she works at the intersection of classical Indian dance, contemporary performance, and embodied inquiry. A senior disciple of legendary master Pandit Chitresh Das, she is Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Leela Dance Collective and Artistic Director of Leela Youth Dance Company — where she mentors young South Asian women as artists and cultural ambassadors. Her original works have been supported by residencies at Works & Process and Newman Center for the Performing Arts and include SPEAK, a kathak-tap collabaration; Son of the Wind, a traditional dance-drama; Encounters with Beauty, which weaves kathak dance together with contemporary chamber music and Hindustani vocals; and Sandhi, a personal exploration of the traditional kathak solo. Her work has been presented nationally and internationally at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (Mumbai), Kimmel Center, 92NY, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, The Broad Stage, Festival of Tabla, and NC State Live, among others. Mehta is a recipient of the Fulbright Award and is frequently invited to speak on embodied knowledge, lineage and mentorship, and the role of dance in consciousness and transformation.
The Afghan Music Project - Salar Nader and Quraishi
Afghan tabla virtuoso Salar Nader curates a program of the rich and varied legacy of classical compositions and folk melodies of this ancient Central Asian nation.
At the heart of this musical odyssey lies the enchanting sounds of the rûbab, Afghanistan's revered 21-stringed lute, renowned for its hauntingly soulful timbre. Accompanied by the tabla's rhythmic pulse, Salar's innovative fusion of Afghan and Indian percussion draws out the musical parallels with Hindustani music, exploring the essence of Ragas and the profound connection between two diverse yet harmonious traditions.
Salar Nader, disciple of the legendary Ustad Zakir Hussain, has toured extensively with NEA Jazz Master Stanley Clarke, appeared on Broadway with “The Kite Runner,” and took part in a series of recordings of the music of Afghanistan and Central Asia sponsored by Aga Khan Music Initiative for the Smithsonian Folkways label.
Quraishi Roya is a legendary master and composer of the Rubab, Afghanistan's national instrument. A self-taught musician originally from Kabul, he is widely celebrated for keeping the rich tradition of classical Afghan court music and regional folk styles alive.
In a time when music has been banned in Afghanistan, the music of these master musicians serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience and importance of preserving cultural heritage.
Texas A&M with Third Coast Percussion
GRAMMY Award-winning Third Coast Percussion and Salar Nader, a renowned tabla virtuoso and disciple of composer Zakir Hussain, present Murmurs in Time as a tribute to the Hussain’s legacy. This major new work combines the beauty and complexity of Hindustani classical music with the singular sound of a percussion ensemble.
Third Coast Percussion (TCP) is Chicago’s GRAMMY® Award-winning percussion quartet and GRAMMY®-nominated composer collective that made history as the first percussion ensemble to win the revered music award in the classical genre. To date, TCP has garnered seven total GRAMMY® nominations, with the individual musicians receiving two additional nominations. After marking its 20th Anniversary in 2025, TCP continues its milestone celebrations with exciting and unexpected performances worldwide that constantly redefine the classical music experience and “push percussion in new directions, blurring musical boundaries and beguiling new listeners” (NPR), with a brilliantly varied sonic palette and “dazzling rhythmic workouts” (Pitchfork).
Representing “one of the most enterprising and creative ensembles working today” (WFMT), the artists of Third Coast Percussion are in-demand collaborators who have worked closely with a range of artists including choreographers Twyla Tharp, Lil Buck, and Jon Boogz; composer/performers Zakir Hussain, Jessie Montgomery, and Jlin; and composers Philip Glass, Missy Mazzoli, and Danny Elfman, among many others. The ensemble has been praised for the “rare power” (Washington Post) of its 30+ recordings, and its “inspirational sense of fun and curiosity” (Minnesota Star-Tribune).
The four members of Third Coast Percussion are David Skidmore, Robert Dillon, Peter Martin, and Sean Connors. Andrew Bockman joins TCP as a special guest artist for this engagement, covering for Peter Martin.
Miles Davis - Miles of India
July 15 – July 19, 2026
The Concert of Colors returns in 2026 for its 35th annual celebration, bringing together global music, culture, and community across Midtown Detroit.
As a longtime partner and host venue, the Detroit Institute of Arts continues to play a central role in the festival, presenting performances and programs that connect audiences through the power of music.
This free, multi-day event invites visitors to experience world-class artists and cultural exchange in one of Detroit’s most vibrant summer traditions