April 2, 2010 — K. Sridhar, a descendant of 14 generations of Indian temple musicians and internationally recognized as one of finest players of the sarod, will give a free concert at the University of Virginia on April 24 at 7 p.m. in McKim Hall Auditorium.

Sridhar is known for his passionate and expressive mastery of the sarod, a fretless, stringed musical instrument known for a deep, weighty, introspective sound and capable of producing continuous slides between notes that is a characteristic of Indian music. The sarod and the sitar are popular and prominent instruments used in northern India's classical music.

Sridhar blends music, physical conditioning and spirituality, combining the practice of yoga and music together known as "nada yoga," which means "union through sound" and is part of the long tradition in India of the use of sound and music to worship the divine.

Sridhar was a member of sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar's orchestra at 12. Shankar and five-time Grammy Award nominee Ali Akar Kahn, another sarod virtuoso, have influenced Sridhar's musical career.

In addition to his Indian classical compositions, today Sridhar weaves together that tradition across cultures and collaborates with numerous musicians, including those playing in Arabic, African, Persian, European classical, jazz and flamenco musical traditions.

Sridhar has made 12 recordings. His CDs include "Arabandi: East Meets East," "Food for the Soul," "Ocean Sound" and "Ocean Sound, Vol. 2" and "Shringar," which features sarod and violin duets.

He has also composed for film, including the soundtrack for the French film, "Pondicherry: juste avant l'oubli," which won the Jean Vigo Award in 1988.

The concert is sponsored by the Center for South Asian Studies in the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.

For information, contact Rachel Stauffer at 434-982-0560 or art2t@virginia.edu.