| Shafqat Ali Khan | |
| Birth Date: | 17 June 1972 |
| Nationality: | Pakistani |
| Occupation: | classical music singer |
| Years Active: | 1979 – present |
| Awards: | Pride of Performance Award (2009) Ambassador for Peace Award by Universal Peace Federation, Washington (2018) |
| Father: | Salamat Ali Khan (Sham Chaurasia Gharana) |
| Relatives: | Sharafat Ali Khan (older brother) |
Shafqat Ali Khan (born 17 June 1972) is a classical singer of the khyal vocal genre, from Pakistan, belonging to the Sham Chaurasia gharana.[1] [2]
The youngest son of Ustad Salamat Ali Khan,[2] [3] Shafqat began performing from the age of seven, when he appeared at the Lahore Music Festival at Lahore, Pakistan in 1979.
Shafqat Ali Khan is the custodian of a four hundred year legacy of classical music. A major Pakistani English language newspaper reportedly commented about him, "This line of musicians began with Mian Chand Ali Khan and Mian Suraj Ali Khan who used to quell the heart and soul of Mughal Emperor Akbar by singing for him."[3]
Describing a performance by Shafqat Ali Khan in New York in 1992, The New York Times wrote, "exuberant complications, in which melodic gestures join hand-waving and synchronized finger-pointing to form an eloquent symbiosis"..."Shafqat Ali Khan's more flamboyant approach to singing.[1] [4] Khan has received numerous awards including the Amir Khusro Award in 1986,[2] a Ghanda Award from New Delhi University in 1995 and a gold medal from Faisalabad University in 2004.[2]
In his message, Shafqat thanks to his fans and said that he has displayed the country's soft image and message of peace in the world through his music.
Besides performing in the United States, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Shafqat Ali Khan has performed concerts throughout Europe and in the United States and Canada.[1] His recording labels are HMV (UK), EMI (India), EMI (Pakistan), WaterLily Acoustics (USA), MegaSound (India) and Folk Heritage (Pakistan).[6] [4]
Shafqat Ali Khan's performances at the Smithsonian Institution in the United States in 1988 and 1996 helped him establish himself as an important Hindustani classical music performer. According to a major newspaper of Pakistan, he has a 'magnetic stage presence and is known for his mastery of rhythm and ability to connect with audiences".[4]
Shafqat Ali Khan feels that since classical music is not commercial, all classical singers and other persons related to classical music cannot earn enough to make a decent living for themselves. So they should be given additional monthly support income by the Pakistani government.[3]
Shafqat ali khan has many students all over India and Pakistan. He has two sons, Faizan Ali Khan and Nadir Ali Khan, they are singing with their father in concerts these days.[7]