The Indian music therapist, composer and experimentalist Nawab Khan has inherited a rich musical tradition. Always respectful of customs and open to influences from around the world, he brings together music and meditation. His instrument is the santoor, which has 100 strings and allows him to work with rich natural harmonies. An inspired and spiritual musician, Nawab Khan combines his musical virtuosity with an attentiveness to wellbeing and serenity.
Nawab Khan is from Rajasthan, India, and is the 8th generation in a family of music therapists. The ancestral knowledge of Indian music, its philosophy, and the Sufi culture have been passed down to him through the oral tradition. He began playing music at a very young age and gained a solid knowledge of raag. Today his music, in the Indian classical tradition, is based on the rhythms and frequencies of nature. He works with ‘natural harmonics’ and produces music which is profound, spiritual and meditative.
As a musician and music therapist, Nawab Khan works both alone and in collaboration with other musicians. He contributes to scientific studies and his listeners benefit from his experience in meditation, relaxation, and physical and mental harmony. His instrument, the santoor, originates from Jammu and Kashmir, and is played with a pair of light mallets.
In June 2019, at the Dominicains de Haute-Alsace, Nawab Khan worked with Romain Muller to produce a sound world called ‘IndiaonAir’ for the centre’s garden – aiming to create an atmosphere conducive to meditation and the enhancement of wellbeing. He also offered musical siestas, meditative and artistic sessions, in the tradition of Indian classical music. As a music therapist he harmonises external sounds and internal vibrations, creating an intense atmosphere of serenity through compositions which merge tradition and modernity.