Yousuf Ali Khan

Surtaal Performing Arts organises and presents a variety of high quality programmes concerning South Asian music. Its Director is Yousuf Ali Khan, a renowned Tabla player of classical and ethnic music and an experienced teacher of Indian music in Local Education Authority and private schools. Thus the leadership of musical programming lies in high quality musical performance. 

Yousuf Ali Khan has served for many years as a teacher of Tabla, Harmonium and singing at Local Education Authority Schools including the Leciestershire School of Music and various borough councils in the London area. He has also been teaching at private schools in East London and at his own Surtaal School of Indian Music located in Edmonton, North London. He has organised and performed at a number of lecture demonstration offered by Local Education Authorities and private bodies. Yousuf Ali Khan has given performances with distinguished artists in many places in the UK and in other countries including USA, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Russia, India and Bangladesh. He has performed with well known artists of Sitar, Sarod, Santoor, with Singers of classical, traditional and folk music and with dancers of different schools.

Yousuf's special interest lies in Asian sub-continent traditional folk, folk dance, Bollywood music and contemporary as well as in inter-cultural blending of music, for example, his performances and compositions for Grand Union Orchestra, a renowned Orchestra group in the UK, as well as other combinations of Indian, western and other music, classical to contemporary.

Yousuf Ali Khan's Biography

Yousuf Ali Khan was born in Comilla, Bangladesh, birthplace of many distinguished exponents of Indian Classical Music. Because of his exceptional feeling for rhythm, Yousuf’s teacher, Ustad Adil Hussain had him concentrate on the Tabla. His keen interest led him to leave home and study in Calcutta from Pandit Anil Bhattecherjee of Lucknow Gharawana. Yousuf’s principle study of classical Tabla was Guru Pandit Shankar Gosh of Purab Gharawana in Calcutta for more than three years, from 1980 to 1984 under a Government Scholarship of India.

In Bangladesh, Yousuf played regularly for Bangladesh TV and Radio. In 1984 he joined the faculty of the Leicestershire School of music in Leicester, England as a teacher of Tabla. Among the many artists with whom he has played are the renowned musicians Ustad Bahadur Khan (Sarod), Ustad Ali Akbar Khan (Sarod), Ustad Abdul Halim Jafar Khan (Sitar), Sujat Khan (Sitar), Parvin Sultana (vocalist) and others.

Since coming to England, Yousuf has had concerts in a number of other countries, USA, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Spain, Italy and Russia. He has also participated in various jazz music sessions.

Currently he is working in the London Borough of Brent, London, as a specialist Tabla instructor. He is also associated with the Grand union Orchestra, a renowned Orchestra group of the UK.