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 under the dedication of the Dagar family. Ustad F. Wasifuddin Dagar represents the twentieth generation of 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 his family has traditionally performed dhrupad as a duet, Wasif has successfully transformed the dhrupad into 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 has 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 Sacred Music of the Dalai Lama in 2001. In several very successful concert tours, he has performed extensively in the United States including at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, at Harvard University, and several other prestigious venues. Despite his active concert schedule, Wasif still finds time to teach the art of dhrupad.

Wasif will be accompained by Mohan Shyam Sharma (Pakhawaj), Qamar Dagar (Tanpura) and Laurence Bastit (Tanpura).

For additional information, visit the concert webpage at http://www.studentgroups.ucla.edu/spicmacay/marketingbrochurefinal.htm.