(HACKETTSTOWN, NJ) -- Centenary Stage Company will welcome internationally acclaimed Indian classical musician Ustad Shafaat Khan to the Kutz Theatre at the Lackland Performing Arts Center on Sunday, October 4, 2026 at 2:00pm.
Presented as Where East Meets West, the afternoon performance will showcase Khan's extraordinary mastery of sitar, surbahar and tabla — three instruments on which he has achieved simultaneous distinction, a rare accomplishment in the history of Indian classical music. The program blends the cultural traditions of Indian classical and folk music with flamenco, pop, guitar, keyboard and western percussion.
Khan began performing publicly at just 11 years old at the King's Lynn Festival in England, an event opened by the Queen Mother. A member of one of India's most distinguished musical families, he is the son of legendary sitarist Ustad Imrat Khan and nephew of renowned sitarist Ustad Vilayat Khan. His musical heritage stretches back centuries, with a lineage of instrumentalists dating to the 16th century.
Over the course of his career, Khan has performed throughout India, the United States, China, Europe, Russia and Japan at major concert halls, festivals and universities. His collaborators have included some of the biggest names in music and culture, including Stevie Wonder, with whom he performed at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, and Ray Charles, with whom he appeared in a televised concert. His recordings have also been produced by renowned physician and author Dr. Deepak Chopra.
Tickets: $25 in advance; $30 on the day of the performance. Tickets are available for purchase online. Kutz Theatre at the Lackland Performing Arts Center is located at 715 Grand Avenue in Hackettstown, New Jersey.
Khan's artistry has earned international critical acclaim. The Washington Post has praised him as a "virtuoso" whose "classical purity" is "astonishing," while The Times of London called him "absolutely superb!" The Chandigarh Tribune has described him as a "star in the world of classical music."
In addition to his career as a performer, Khan is an accomplished educator and has received the Professional Excellence Award from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for his work as an outstanding musician, performer and teacher.
Where East Meets West offers audiences an opportunity to experience the depth, history and extraordinary musicianship in an intimate concert setting.
The Centenary Stage Company Box Office is located in the Lackland Performing Arts Center at 715 Grand Avenue, Hackettstown, NJ. Box Office hours are Monday through Friday, 1:00pm–5:00pm, and two hours prior to each performance.
The 2026/27 Season of Performing Arts at Centenary Stage Company is made possible through the generous support of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, The Shubert Foundation, the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, the Sandra S. Kupperman Foundation, the John and Margaret Post Foundation, the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, and CSC corporate sponsors including Heath Village, Visions Federal Credit Union, Fulton Bank, Explore Warren, and the Hackettstown Rotary Club, along with the many members and supporters of Centenary Stage Company.
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