The Ali Akbar Khan Foundation is a California Corporation which has
been granted Recognition of Exemption as a public charity under Section 501
(c) (3) of the internal Revenue Code.
The major purpose of the Ali Akbar Khan Foundation is to fund the Baba
Allauddin Institute, for the purpose of maintaining a library and archive of the
classical music of North India and establishing a public facility for
listening to and
studying the music in the San Francisco Bay Area of California.
The classical music of North India is among the oldest continual music
traditions in the world. For more than half a century Ali Akbar Khan has
undertaken
the responsibility of teaching this classical music to more than 10,000
students and at the same time has been a musician of towering eminence who
is widely considered one of the greatest composers and performing musicians
of this century.
Ustad Ali Akbar Khan has devoted much of his life to teaching the
music of
North India at the Ali Akbar College of Music currently located at 215 West End
Avenue, San Rafael, CA 94901. He and his family, and in particular his
father Ustad
Allauddin Khan, have created written, recorded, and oral records of music in
their
tradition known as the Baba Allauddin Gharana.
At present the written, recorded, and filmed archives of the music
are not
stored in one location, country, or even continent. Much of the recorded
music needs to be preserved on new master tapes. In addition, Ustad Ali
Akbar Khan does much of his composing on the spot in his classes which are
tape recorded. Many of his compositions are yet to be reduced to written
form. One extensive project of the Baba Allauddin Institute will be to
preserve and transcribe the recordings of the classes. Archive and library
facilities are needed to house a master tape archive room and to make and
store archive quality tapes, a recording studio, a public use facility with
equipment to listen to and study the music, and administrative offices.
Funding for the Baba Allauddin Institute is a large undertaking and
a long term
project of the Ali Akbar Khan Foundation. Funds will be received from
solicitations
of donations and grants as well as benefit concerts and events. It is
important to fund the institute as soon as possible because much of the
archives (and particularly those in India) were created, stored and preserved
with outdated equipment, facilities and technology and are constantly
deteriorating. In addition Ustad Ali Akbar Khan has the capability to
secure the older archives from many sources due to his status as a musician
and because he and his family created much of the recorded and written music.
Donations to the Ali Akbar Khan Foundation are tax deductable.
PROJECTS
The first fundraising activity of the Ali Akbar Khan Foundation was a
benefit concert by Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri on
March 11, 1995 at the Marin Veteran's Memorial Auditorium. The proceeds
of that concert, $8,000, were donated by the Foundation to the Lagunitas
School District in San Geronimo, CA, for school district K-8's SEED (Self
Esteem Education Development) project.
The most recent project is an exciting and historical CD release
combining the talents of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Srimati Asha Bhosle,
which was recorded in August 1995 and released in March 1996. In
describing the type of music sung by Ashaji, Khansahib says, "The melodies
are compositions which I learned from my father, who learned them from
Mohammed Wazir Khansahib, who was a direct descendent of Mian Tansen's
daughter Saraswati, who was married to Maharajah Misar Singh. Many of
the songs may have been sung by Mian Tansen and certainly others in that
family. They are a dhrupad in chotal, a horri in dhammar, and a few tarana's
from Bhadurhussain Khan, who is the creator of tarana in history. These
kinds of compositions I am not allowed, as ordered by my father, to give to
family or disciples unless they are capable. After my death, I do not want all
my father's hard work of 40 years learning to disappear."
Sixty percent of the income generated from sales of the CD will be
donated to the Baba Allauddin Institute and the music created will become
part of the archive. We are seeking donations from people who are interested
in helping defray the expenses of recording and producing a CD with this
kind of historical and archival significance. The project expenses have
reached $90,000. Donations to the Ali Akbar Khan Foundation for the Baba
Allauddin Institute are tax deductible.
Our enthusiasm is high, so please contact us with any questions you
may have. We thank you for your time and consideration.
