Avid Learning, in association with the NGMA Mumbai, Ministry of Culture and the Government of India presents: The Art of the Sitar, a lecture demonstration with sitarist Hidayat Husain Khan, on the virtuosity of the sitar, its legacy and its importance as an instrument.

The prolific musician will give an exclusive performance and also be in conversation with author and journalist, Namita Devidayal, who has just finished a biography on Hidayat’s father, Ustad Vilayat Khan, which will be published this year.

The descendant and proponent of one of the most treasured lineages of Eastern classic music, Hidayat harbours a rare, creative brilliance, that effortlessly takes him across all genres and nuances of music. Hidayat’s adeptness is evident as he intricately plays the sitar from the classical gharana style, and has successfully worked on adaptions of the sitar's sounds in western popular music. He is also well-versed in the "Gayaki Ang," a unique rendition where voice blends with the instrument. Hidayat’s flexible and genre-defying musical style engages and pushes the instrument in new and novel ways.

Topics that will be covered include the legacy, history and art of the sitar, as well as its importance and impact as an instrument from its humble beginnings in 16th century India to where it is now. The spread of the sitar to Western music as well as Hidayat’s unique perspective and insight will be discussed too, especially the influence of his father after whom a style of sitar, Vilayat Khan style, has been named.