Cassius Khan

Cassius Khan (born 7 June 1974), is a Canadian Indian classical musician known for playing the Tabla and Ghazal while singing.

In Vancouver,Canada, the young Khan met Mushtari Begum, a Ghazal singer, Sheikh Mohyudean, a harmonium / Qawaali singer, and Ustad Rukhsar Ali, a Tabla player. He subsequently began his tutelage under the guidance of these musicians and would later combine his musical disciplines. Khan mastered the ability to sing Ghazal and play the Tabla simultaneously which garnered him respect and attention in the Indian classical music world. Khan's repertoire also include the Tarrannum Ang Gayaki while playing the Tabla, which is a very difficult talent, and has made this aspect his trademark style. Khan has been crowned as the chief architect in this rare style of performance, and his contribution has been etched into the world of Indian classical music.

Khan's early career met with limited success after the recording and international tour of his first album "Cassius Khan-The Young Tabla/Ghazal Wizard." Khan states because of his young age he was taken advantage of by his management and did not secure the rights to his albums or financial gains.

He would continue on to college and university and had thoughts of pursuing a career in Law and Psychology. Ultimately, after earning a B.A. Khan decided to stick to music. He started by touring the folk festival scene in North America, South Pacific, Europe and South America soloing and collaborating with artists of various genres from around the world as both a Tabla player and vocalist. In his young career and to date, Khan has performed in over 25 countries.

In 2001, Khan composed "Asia Music" for the IAAF World Championships in Athletics under the guidance of composer Jan Randall. The piece he composed gained him international recognition as a composer. Later on, Khan would tour the world to showcase his talent of Ghazal singing and Tabla playing.

In 2005, Khan was the only Canadian musician of Indian heritage invited to perform Ghazal and a Tabla solo recital at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa as part of Alberta Scene Festival. Khan was then invited by the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival to present his first classical Ghazal and Tabla recital concert in a Canadian Folk festival in 2006. Khan was also among few selected out of 8,000 applicants to showcase Ghazal/Tabla at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas in 2008. That same year he was invited to perform at the Juno Awards in Calgary. The following year Khan was a featured artist for the Canadian Music Week. Khan's recordings were also selected for the Japan Trade Mission in 2009. Khan is also the first Canadian who performed at the prestigious Sa Ma Pa Music Festival at Kamani Auditorium in New Delhi India on 23 November 2013.These accomplishments are a first for any Canadian Indian musician. Khan was signed by the Yarlowe Artist Group in 2008 but unfortunately in later 2009, Khan fired his management on the grounds of theft, fraud and career jeopardisation.

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