This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Homayun Sakhi
Traditional Afghan Rubab
Homayun Sakhi of Tracy was born in Kabul in 1976 to a renowned musical lineage. From age ten, he immersed himself in mastering the national instrument, the double-chambered rubab, under his father’s tutelage in the traditional ustâd-shâgird apprenticeship. In 1992, he and his family sought refuge in Peshawar, Pakistan, following the chaos of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. There, Homayun’s exceptional talents gained recognition, making him a popular entertainer known for his diverse repertoire. In 2001, he relocated to Fremont, California, home to the largest Afghan community in the US. There, he introduced his refined rubab style, quickly becoming a local musical leader, and earning national and international acclaim as a performer, teacher, and composer.
Apprenticeship Program
2024
Zara
During this period, Homayun will focus on teaching apprentice, Yusef Zara, Rag Bihag, a composition based on a major scale. The apprentice will be working on developing stamina for the right-hand technique called Dir-Dir, an up-and-down stroke on one or more strings. Also, to evolve the Bachgi technique while playing the melody and stroking the sympathetic strings to create a rhythmic partner.
Living Cultures
2024
Preservation of the Traditional Afghan Music of Rubob
Preserving Afghan Traditional music through recordings that represent the multi-ethnic music of Afghanistan and in collaboration with scholars to transcribe these melodies for archival purposes laying the framework for a book about the Afghan rubab, covering its history & instructional content aiming to promote learning within our Afghan community.