In this evening’s opening programme of the 2022 Aga Khan Music Awards, Prince Amyn Aga Khan presented a special Award for Lifetime Achievement to acclaimed tabla player Ustad Zakir Hussain, who was cited for his “enduring contributions to the musical heritage of humanity, peerless musical mastery, and sustained social impact as a performer and teacher.”  Zakir Hussain has long served as one of the world’s most visible models of enlightened cross-cultural musicianship. Over the course of his six-decade-long career, he has elevated the status of the tabla both in India and around the world through countless artistic collaborations, concert tours, commissions, recordings, and film scores.

The latest of these artistic collaborations took place this evening in the Royal Opera House Muscat’s House of Musical Arts, when Ustad Zakir Hussain performed as a soloist with the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Hamdan al Shaely in a performance of Peshkar, a concerto for tabla and orchestra composed by Zakir Hussain in 2015.

Before presenting the Award for Lifetime Achievement, Prince Amyn Aga Khan addressed the distinguished audience that filled the concert hall of the House of Musical Arts. He noted that the true impact of the Music Awards will be measured by the achievements of the laureates as they endeavour to use their musical talent and knowledge to contribute to the well-being of their respective societies and of humanity at large. He added that “the gift of artistic talent bestows a responsibility on those who receive it to share their good fortune with others, to unite us despite our many apparent differences.” Prince Amyn underscored the important role of the Music Awards in supporting music educators. “By educating young people in their own musical traditions while also providing them the tools to expand those traditions in new cosmopolitan directions, we are helping to prepare a new generation of cultural leaders that will build bridges and connections across cultures,” he said.