faculty bio
Suhail Yusuf is a musician and academic originally from New Delhi. Continuing a longstanding family tradition, Suhail draws from a rich musical heritage as an eighth-generation sarangi player. A descendant of the Moradabad-Rampur and Senia Gharana, he is the grandson of renowned Sarangi legend, USTAD SABRI KHAN.
At the age of seven Suhail started learning to play the sarangi under the tutelage of his Uncle and his Grandfather, in the ‘Guru-Shishya Parampara’ (the Traditional Indian Schooling method of imparting of knowledge from the Guru “teacher” to the Shishya “student’). Suhail gave his first live performance at the age of 11 and has since performed extensively in India, Europe (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland), South Africa, Nepal, Egypt, Pakistan, Maldives, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Canada, the U.K., and the U.S.A.
Suhail is a multifaceted instrumentalist and vocalist, who is also a composer and singer/songwriter. His versatility extends to varied genres of music, from Hindustani Classical Music to contemporary Rock Fusion, Jazz Fusion, World Music, Folk Music, and Experimental Music. The British Council, New Delhi, appointed Suhail Cultural Ambassador from India to the U.K. in 2013-2014. Suhail was awarded the M.A. in Music from Wesleyan University in 2018 where he is currently completing a PhD in Ethnomusicology.
At the age of seven Suhail started learning to play the sarangi under the tutelage of his Uncle and his Grandfather, in the ‘Guru-Shishya Parampara’ (the Traditional Indian Schooling method of imparting of knowledge from the Guru “teacher” to the Shishya “student’). Suhail gave his first live performance at the age of 11 and has since performed extensively in India, Europe (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland), South Africa, Nepal, Egypt, Pakistan, Maldives, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Canada, the U.K., and the U.S.A.
Suhail is a multifaceted instrumentalist and vocalist, who is also a composer and singer/songwriter. His versatility extends to varied genres of music, from Hindustani Classical Music to contemporary Rock Fusion, Jazz Fusion, World Music, Folk Music, and Experimental Music. The British Council, New Delhi, appointed Suhail Cultural Ambassador from India to the U.K. in 2013-2014. Suhail was awarded the M.A. in Music from Wesleyan University in 2018 where he is currently completing a PhD in Ethnomusicology.