John Stephens - Sitar player

John Stephens is a sitar player who performs and teaches North Indian classical music while drawing on his extensive background in western classical, jazz and rock to enhance his musical pedagogy and maintain a broad musical perspective. He has given many North Indian classical performances for various occasions including recitals, competitions, lecture/demonstrations, private concerts, weddings, and holiday programs. These include performances at Cornell University, Ithaca College, Pasadena City College, the 24th Annual Indian Music and Dance Competition at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, the California Institute of the Arts, private recitals in Boston, Ithaca, Baltimore, Seattle, and Varanasi, India, and appearances as tanpura accompanist for Ustad Aashish Khan, Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, and Sri Alam Khan at the annual Music Circle concert and the Ojai Music Festival.