Born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Laila is a disciple of late Ustad Mir Qasem Khan, nephew of the legendary maestro, Ustad Alauddin Khan(Ravi Shankar’s guru). She further continued under the tutelage of Partha Chatterjee, Krishna Bhatt and Kushal Das. Also an accomplished painter, Laila has a BA degree from the Fine Arts Department, Dhaka University. 

She has performed in venues like,The Kennedy Center Wash DC, The Shakespeare Theater ,Wash DC,The Purcell Room, South Bank Center, London, The  Nehru Center, London, The Bengal Festival, Dhaka, The India International Center, New Delhi etc. Her concert, “Music For Peace’ at UNESCO was presented by theEmbassy of Bangladesh, Paris. She has recorded and performed with world renowned tabla artists such as Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, Ustad Tari Khan - collaborated with South Indian classical, Jazz saxophone – composed for Sitar/Cello duet and music for dance (Dakshina Dance Company Wash DC). She has combined her sitar concerts with her water color painting projections in venues such as: The Kennedy Center, Wash DC, Hope University, Liverpool , South Bank Center , London and Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka. 

She is featured in the ‘Touring Artists Roster’ of the Maryland State Arts Council. She has received the prestigious Individual Artist’s Award from MSAC and AHCMC. Her music school, Sitar Niketan, in Silver Spring MD that has presented, the first ever, sitar ensemble in the Wash DC area at the Kennedy Center.

Her DVD ‘Hridayaragam’, was featured in the’ Women’s History Month’, Smithsonian and was nominated for Best Classical Music Award in 2013 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Her recent CD ‘Ekavali’with Tanmoy Bose, with compositions in sitar and world percussion, is a statement of the unity of humanity.

www.aliflailasitar.com

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