Ragas with Soul: Momin Khan & Gurdain Rayatt

As part of his first-ever concert in Leicester and his UK-wide tour, Momin Khan, one of the youngest internationally acclaimed sarangi players, will perform on a cosy March evening. He will be joined by the much-loved tabla marvel, Gurdain Rayatt.

About the performers:

Momin Khan (sarangi)

Momin grew up surrounded by other musicians in a 42 room haveli (shared townhouse), and recalls first hearing the sarangi as his lori (lullaby). He begged his father to teach him the instrument, and one night at the age of six he stayed up until the early hours, awaiting his father’s return from a concert so he could plead for his lessons to begin.

He took to the instrument immediately, winning state competitions and forming a unique style imbued with the sounds of the sitar, tabla, bansuri, and other instruments. He completed a music degree before the age at which most students even start university, and now spends six to seven hours a day immersed into his practice.

Gurdain Rayatt (tabla)

Gurdain Rayatt is one of Europe’s finest young tabla players. Though UK-based, his style incorporates a vast expanse of ideas from the Punjab, Benares and Farukhabad gharanas. He trained under his father Harkirat and grandfather Bhai Gurmeet Singh Virdee, in whose memory Darbar was founded. He went on to take further instruction from Pandit Shankar Ghosh and his son Bickram, and moved to Kolkata for a year to refine his style.