Ali Akbar Khan (14 April 192218 June 2009), often referred to as
Khansahib or by the title
Ustad (master), was a
Hindustani classical musician of the
Maihar gharana, known for his virtuosity in playing the
sarod. Khan was instrumental in popularising
Indian classical music in the West, both as a performer (often in conjunction with
Sitar maestro
Ravi Shankar), and as a teacher. He established a music school in
Calcutta in 1956, and the
Ali Akbar College of Music in 1967, which is now located in
San Rafael, California and has a branch in
Basel, Switzerland. Khan also composed several classical
ragas and
film scores. He was a Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Music at the University of California, Santa Cruz.