W&L Presents an Evening with Renowned Afghan Musician Humayan Khan Khan will be joined by musicians from across the country in the Nov. 7 concert.

Office of Communications and Public Affairs
October 28, 2025

Editor’s note: The following release was written by Gregory Parker, professor of music, for W&L’s Lenfest Center for the Arts.

The Department of Music at Washington and Lee University presents the Pickens World Music Concert, featuring Humayun Khan, one of the most respected performers of classical Afghan and North Indian music, at 8 p.m. on Nov. 7 in Wilson Concert Hall in the Lenfest Center for the Arts.

The Pickens World Music series is supported by the Pauline B. and Paul D. Pickens Fund for the Performing Arts, which brings non-Western European performing artists or groups to campus each year. Tickets are required and available online or in person at the Lenfest Box Office.

Khan, a highly regarded vocalist and harmonium player, has spent the past decade mastering his unique style of blending Persian poetry with Indian classical Ragas. In addition to performances of traditional music, Khan regularly collaborates with some of the most well-known artists in the world music scene, including Grammy-winning harmonica great Howard Levy, guitarist and producer Shahin Shahida, guitar virtuoso Lawson Rollins, Grammy-winning drummer Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez and oud-master Haj Youness.

Khan will be joined by outstanding musicians from across the country playing instruments of the North Indian tradition, including the Bul Bul Tarang (Indian banjo) and tabla (hand drums), along with more familiar Western instruments such as the saxophone, guitar, violin and electric bass. Some selections will also feature whirling dervishes, members of Sufi Muslim orders who practice active meditation through spinning, symbolizing a journey of spiritual ascent.

In addition to the Nov. 7 concert, Khan will present a masterclass at 4:10 p.m. on Nov. 7 in Wilson Concert Hall, where he will discuss the cultural significance of music in the Afghan and Sufi Muslim traditions. The masterclass is free and open to the public.

Order your tickets online today or call the Lenfest Center box office at 540-458-8000 for ticket information. Box office hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The cost is $21 for adults, $19 for seniors and $17 for W&L faculty and staff; W&L students receive free tickets by showing their student identification.

This performance is sponsored in part by the Class of 1964 Performing Arts Fund and the Robert O. and Elizabeth M. Bentley Endowment.

For a full list of events, visit the Department of Music’s website.