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Dhrupad Vocals
This event is in-part supported by the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD)

Ud. F. Wasifuddin Dagar Dhrupad Vocals
Pt. Mohan Shyam Sharma Pakhawaj
Qamar Dagar Tanpura
Laurence Bastit Tanpura

Dhrupad is the oldest and most profound style of Indian classical vocal music. Dagarvani dhrupad, a genre that was nearly extinct half a century ago has prospered due to the unique dedication of the Dagar family. Ustad F. Wasifuddin Dagar represents the 20th generation of dedicated dhrupad singers in the Dagar family. He is the nephew of Ustad N. Zahiruddin Dagar and son of Ustad N. Faiyazuddin Dagar, the legendary younger “Dagar Brothers”. Though traditionally his family has always performed dhrupad as a duet, Wasif (shorted form of his name) successfully presents the dynamic of a duet in a solo performance by maintaining the distinct musical approaches and styles of both his father and uncle. Wasif performs regularly and extensively on Indian television and radio, at music festivals, and concerts. He performed for the UNESCO in France, and also toured the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Hungary in 1998, for the United Nations Peace Summit, and the World Festival of Scared Music of the Dalai Lama in 2001. He has also performed extensively in the United States including at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, at Harvard University, and several other prestigious venues. He has toured Japan and Europe. His performances have received rave reviews in The Washington Post, The New York Times, and other world press. He is very popular with young listeners for his lively lecture demonstrations illustrating old Vedic technicalities through metaphors from daily life.