Aashish Khan was initiated into North Indian classical music at the age of 5 by his grandfather, the legendary Acharya Baba Allauddin Khan, exponent of the “Senia Beenkar” and “Senia Rababiya” Gharana. His talim (training) continues under the guidance of his father Ustad Ali Akbar Khan aunt, Smt. Annapurna Devi, presently the leading exponents of the “Senia Gharana”, in the Beenkar and Rababiya anga of the Dbruvapada style.

Aashish gave his first public performance at the age of 13, with his grandfather, on the All Indian Radio “National Program”, New Delhi, and in the same year, performed with his father and his grandfather at the “Tansen Music Conference”, Calcutta.

Besides his virtuosity as a traditional sarodist, Aashish pioneered in the establishment of the world music genera, as founder of the Indo-American musical group “Shanti” in 1969/70 and later, fusion group, “The Third Eye”; he was first to write a Sarod Concerto in the “raga” form.

With Pandit Rave Shankar, he has worked on many musical products for both film and stage, including Satyajit Rays’s “Apur Sangsar” “Parash Pathar” and Sir Richard Attenborough’s film “Gandhi”.
He has also worked with Maurice Jarre on John Huston’s film “The Man Who Would be King”, on David Lean’s “A Passage to India”, and composed the music for Tapan Sinha’s films, “Joturgriha” and “Aadmi Aurat”.

Aashish has collaborated with such diverse Western musicians as John Barham, George Harrison, Ringo Star, Eric Clapton, Charles Lloyd, John Handy, Alice Coltrane, Emil Richards, Dallas Smith, Don Pope, Jorge Strunz, Ardeshir Farah, and the Philadelphia String Quartet.
His recordings include: The Wonder Wall, Young Master of the Serried, California Concert, Sarod and Piano Jugalbandi, Shanti, Live at the Royal Festival Hall London, Homage, Inner Voyage, Monsoon Ragas, The Sound of Mughal Court, and the latest, Jugalbandi Sarod & Sarangi Duet.

In 1989, Aashish was appointed to the prestigious post of the Composer and Conductor for the National Orchestra (“Vadya Vrinda”) of All India Radio, New Delhi, succeeding such musical starwarts as Pandit Ravi Shankar and Pandit Pannalal Ghosh.

As a teacher for many years, and formerly on the faculties of the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California, and the University of Washington, Seattle. While pursuing a busy career as a concert artist and composer, he teaches students throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Africa, and of course India.