Rita Sahai
 osmjmusic2@comcast.net Room 115, Music Building Teaching Schedule M 4–6 pm |
Born in Allahabad, India, Rita Sahai, director of the UC Davis Hindustani Ensemble, was accepted at the age of 9 as a disciple of renowned vocalist Pandit Rama Shankar Mishra, who groomed her in the romantic Benares Gharana style. She has joined the faculty of the Ali Akbar Khan College of Music in San Rafael. She will succeed Ustad
Khan, the internationally renowned sarod player who died in August
2009, as teacher of his advanced vocal classes. Sahai was a long-time
student of "Khansahib," as she affectionately called her guru. He gave
her the title Gayan Alankar, meaning "Jewel of Music." She is trained in the Seni Allaudin Gharana style, known for its creativity and purity of ragas. Sahai, an acclaimed composer and performer, tours extensively throughout the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and India. She is also in demand at recording studios at home and abroad, where she graciously lends her voice to many diverse musical projects, including contributing vocal tracks for Grammy Award-winning artist Béla Fleck and performing on Alonzo King’s Sacred Texts, a CD of international music that won the Isadora Duncan Award for music excellence. Sahai has produced several CDs of her own, including Rangamalika. |