Ali Akbar College of Music, Indian classical music institution in San Rafael, California.
The Ali Akbar College of Music is a school for North Indian classical music in San Rafael, California, offering instruction in instruments such as sarod, tabla, sitar, and classical vocal styles. Courses are open to students at all levels, from beginners to advanced players, and draw learners from across the world.
The school was founded in 1967 in Berkeley by Ali Akbar Khan, a sarod player trained by his father Allauddin Khan, and moved to San Rafael the following year. It was among the first institutions outside India to teach North Indian classical music in a formal setting.
The college is named after its founder, Ali Akbar Khan, one of the most celebrated sarod players of the 20th century. Students here learn directly from musicians who carry on the oral teaching tradition of the Seni gharana, where knowledge passes from teacher to student by ear rather than by written notation.
The college offers courses for different levels, so no prior background in Indian music is needed to join a class. It is worth checking the schedule in advance, as some workshops and intensives run only at specific times of year.
The college holds a sound archive recognized by the Library of Congress in 2003, containing recordings that are not available anywhere else. Some of these recordings capture private teaching sessions between Ali Akbar Khan and his students, giving a rare window into how this music is passed on.
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