Ustad Zakir Hussain receives Aga Khan Music Award

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Acclaimed Indian tabla player Ustad Zakir Hussain has received prestigious Aga Khan Music Award in lifetime achievement category for his enduring contributions to the musical heritage of humanity at a ceremony at Muscat in Oman.

Prince Amyn Aga Khan on Saturday night presented the special award to Zakir Hussain as he said the true impact of the Aga Khan Music Awards will be measured by the achievements of a laureate like Zakir Hussain.

The award was given for his peerless musical mastery and sustained social impact as a performer and teacher, according to the award citation.

The Prince said such a maestro endeavours to use his musical talent and knowledge to contribute to the well-being of the respective societies and of humanity at large.

“The gift of artistic talent bestows a responsibility on those who receive it to share their good fortune with others, to unite us despite our many apparent differences,” he said.

Prince Amyn underscored the important role of the Music Awards in supporting music educators.

“By educating young people in their own musical traditions while also providing them the tools to expand those traditions in new cosmopolitan directions, we are helping to prepare a new generation of cultural leaders that will build bridges and connections across cultures,” he said.

Prince Amyn’s address was preceded by remarks from Dr Jamal al-Moosawi, Director of the National Museum – Sultanate of Oman.

Dr al-Moosawi noted that hosting the second edition of the Aga Khan Music Awards is very much in alignment with the Sultanate’s desire to build bridges of communication and cooperation between countries and cultures.

The Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra was joined by the Aga Khan Master Musicians (AKMM), the resident ensemble of the Aga Khan Music Programme, in a rousing performance of “Tashkent,” composed by AKMM saxophonist Basel Rajoub and arranged for orchestra by Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky.

Ustad Zakir Hussain, meanwhile, with his mesmerising performance enthralled the audience in the Royal Opera House Muscat’s House of Musical Arts on Saturday night.

He performed as a soloist with the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Hamdan al Shaely in a performance of Peshkar, a concerto for tabla and orchestra composed by Zakir Hussain in 2015.