About Our Teacher Vishal Nagar

Vishal Nagar is a virtuoso of Tabla, a set of tuned drums that are played in India, Pakistan, and elsewhere in Asia. Born into a family of musicians, he began to play Tabla at a very early age. His initial training was with the late Ustad Latif Ahmed Khan, and he has received additional training from Ustad Shamim Ahmed Khan. He has also received special rhythmic training from his mother, the renowned Urmila Nagar--one of the most famous Kathak dancers and vocalists.

Vishal plays in the style of the Delhi gharana (school), and draws upon techniques of the various other tabla gharanas such as Ajrara and Farukhabad. He has also developed a precise and elegant style of padhant (the recitation of Tabla rhythm patterns) that adds special excitement to his solo performances.

Vishal has been praised in the Indian press for his unique combination of a melodic Tabla sound with a masterful command of rhythm. He is equally acclaimed for his performances as an accompanist of dancers, vocalists and instrumentalists, as well as for his performances as a soloist.

In addition to his mastery of classical Tabla, he has a vast knowledge of the folk rhythms of India and several folk percussion instruments such as nal, dholak, etc. He also has a great understanding of the many special rhythm patterns of Kathak dance and pakhawaj (another Indian popular Indian percussion instrument). During his visits to Seattle in the past few years, Vishal has taught a talented group of Tabla students.

Vishal started his performance career at the age of eight, and despite his young age Vishal has already performed all over India including performances in Calcutta, Jalandhar, Bombay, Gwalior, Patna, Mysore, Jaipur, Lucknow and Delhi. Some of the festivals he has performed at include Jaipur Sangeet Utsav, Lucknow Mahotsav, Harivallabh Sangeet Sammaillen, Mysore Mahotsav and the famous Sahitya Kala Parishad Yuva Mahotsav, to mention a few.

Vishal has also expanded his cultural boundaries and collaborated with musicians from around the world. Some of his memorable works have been with the Ghanaian Guitarist Koo Nimo with whom he appeared in the WOMAD festival. Vishal has also performed in major festivals around the world including performances in Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Thailand and the United States.

Keep watching this site for a clip of Vishal's July 12th, 2003 concert.