Imrat Khan

Ustad Imrat Khan (17 November 1935 - 22 November 2018) was an Indian sitar and surbahar player and composer, born in Calcutta into the legendary Imdadkhani (Etawah) gharana. He was the younger brother of sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan. His father, Ustad Enayat Khan (1895-1938), was recognized as a leading sitar and surbahar player of his time, as had been his grandfather Ustad Imdad Khan (1848-1920) before him.

Imrat was only three when his father passed away. His musical training continued under his uncle Ustad Wahid Khan, who taught him surbahar, and under the guidance of other family members. In the early years, both brothers Imrat and Vilayat performed together as a jugalbandi, with Vilayat on the sitar and Imrat playing the surbahar.

Imrat Khan was the senior performer of the Imdadkhani gharana and was most famously known for his gayaki style of playing, which emulated vocal expression on stringed instruments. He also performed unusual raags, with Kalavati and Abhogi Kanhra being particularly popular. As a meticulous and traditional guru, Imrat Khan passed the Imdadkhani legacy to his five sons - Nishat, Irshad, Wajahat, Shafaatullah, and Azmat Khan - all of whom continue to perform globally.

He spent a portion of each year teaching classical Indian music and instructing sitar students at Washington University in St. Louis. In 1988, he received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award from the President of India. In 2017, he was offered the Padma Shri but refused to accept it, stating "It is too little and came too late." He died on 22 November 2018 at age 83 in St. Louis, Missouri, where he had been residing for over two decades.