David Trasoff is a senior disciple of the late maestro Swara Samrat Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. David was privileged to have studied sarode performance and North Indian classical music with his guru since 1973.
David is also a senior student of Ustad Zakir Hussain, and continues his study of sarode and vocal music with Pandit Rajeev Taranath. Acclaimed for his performance in both the United States and India, David has appeared in concert in arts centers, universities, conservatories and festivals in the United States, Europe, and Asia and has made numerous performing tours in India.
David holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an M.F.A. in music from California Institute of the Arts. He served as Director of the Indian Music Ensemble at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and has taught at the California Institute of the Arts, University of California Riverside, California State University San Marcos, Pomona College and the Rotterdam Conservatory CODARTS program.
David has composed and performed music for film, theater and dance projects, including an award-winning Los Angeles production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the acclaimed Indian art film Leela. His recordings include a When Words Disappear, a CD of North Indian classical music recorded with Ustad Zakir Hussain and Svara:New World, original compositions for his quartet of sarode, guitar, bass and percussion.