German conductor Christian Reif joined the San Francisco Symphony as Resident Conductor and Wattis Foundation Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra in the 2016-17 season. He was previously Conducting Fellow with the New World Symphony in Miami, where he was mentored by Michael Tilson Thomas. Mr. Reif completed his master of music in conducting at the Juilliard School under Alan Gilbert, where he received the Charles Schiff Conducting Award. He also studied with Dennis Russell Davies at the Mozarteum Salzburg. Mr. Reif is currently a member of Germany's Conductor's Forum where he was named one of their “Maestros of Tomorrow.” He was Conducting Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center in 2015 and 2016 and has also worked as assistant and cover conductor for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and for the New York Phil Biennial. Mr. Reif won the German Operetta Prize 2015, awarded by the German Music Council. In the 2017-18 season, Mr. Reif makes his debut with the Orchestre National de Lyon and the Bruckner Orchestra Linz, works with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Orchestra, and makes return engagements with the Berkeley Symphony, Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, and the Lakes Area Music Festival. This summer, he makes his debut with the Indianapolis Symphony and at the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York City. His enthusiasm in performing contemporary music has led to many world premiere performances, including Michael Gordon’s El Sol Caliente, a city symphony in honor of Miami Beach’s centennial; and concertos for DJ and orchestra, performed at the New World Symphony’s PULSE events. A dedicated and enthusiastic educator, Mr. Reif has also worked as a teaching fellow at the Juilliard School. He hosted and conducted education concerts with the New World Symphony, which were also webcast globally.

(April 2018)

Son of the sarode master Ali Akbar Khan, Alam Khan trained into the Maihar Seni Gharana at age seven, learning to live in the traditional style of Guru and student. Mr. Khan performed regularly with his father from 1996 to 2006 in such venues as the Royal Jodhpur Palace, the Dover Lane Music Festival in Calcutta, New York's Lincoln Center Jazz Festival, and in concerts all over the United States, Canada, Europe, and India.

Mr. Khan has performed alongside India's tabla masters Swapan Chaudhuri, Zakir Hussain, and Anindo Chatterjee in venues including the Dover Lane Music Festival, Saptak, Darbar Festival, the San Francisco World Music Festival, the Chicago World Music Festival, and the Carnegie Group in New York City.

Mr. Khan has also collaborated and performed with a wide array of artists from different genres such as the Grammy-winning Tedeschi Trucks Band, Grand Tapestry, Karsh Kale, Beats Antique, Eligh, Homayoun Sakhi, film composer and performer Michael Andrews, composer Christopher Hedge, Homayoun Sakhi, Oakland Symphony conductor Michael Morgan, oud musicians Yair Dalal and Rahim Alhaj, Bob Weir, Rob Wasserman, Amp Live, and God's Robots.

During the final years of his father’s life, Mr. Khan helped teach at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, CA. He is now the teacher of advanced instrumental classes at the Ali Akbar College of Music and has dedicated his life to preserving, performing, and teaching this music to the world.

(January 2018)

The Ali Akbar College of Music offers education in the classical music of north India. Located ten miles north of San Francisco in San Rafael, the college specializes in teaching sarode, sitar, and tabla with instructors who have studied with sarode master Ali Akbar Khan, and tabla master Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri. The international student body ranges from beginners to accomplished professionals and all  students are encouraged to learn vocal music and cross train in raga (melody) and tala (percussion). In addition to Indian instrument courses, violin, cello, guitar, flute, and many others are also taught at the college.  

(January 2018)