Salar Nader

A standout artist of his generation, tabla virtuoso Salar Nader is recognized as a global
ambassador weaving South Asian arts into the musical traditions of his Afghanistan heritage. A
percussionist, composer, and producer, Salar has studied under Ustad Zakir Hussain since the
age of seven. He has toured widely with Stanley Clarke, Kronos Quartet, Wu Man, Miles From
India; Central Asian master musicians Homayoun Sakhi and Abbos Kosimovj; and legendary
Indian classical musicians including Ustad Zakir Hussain, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Selva Ganesh,
Alam Khan, Rahul Sharma and many others. He has performed and recorded with
contemporary & electronic artists including Cheb i Sabbah, Niyaz, and Grand Tapestry.
Based in Los Angeles, Salar is committed to bringing the tabla to a wide audience. He
collaborated on Farah Yasmeen Shaikh and Noorani Dance production “The Forgotten
Empress,” has appeared on soundtracks including the 2012 film "The Reluctant
Fundamentalist,” and scored the original stage adaptation of Khaled Hosseini’s best-selling
novel “The Kite Runner,” which had a groundbreaking run on Broadway in 2022 – culminating in
the distinction of being the first Afghani artist to donate his instruments to the Museum of
Broadway in New York City.
In 2019, he founded the Salar Nader Tabla Foundation, globally preserving Afghan cultural
traditions through instruments and mentor scholarships, supported by Rhea Designs Inc. In
March 2022, Salar curated "Nezam-e-Shams" at the Getty Museum, a collaboration between
the Sounds of L.A. series and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Since 2023, Salar collaborates
with the Leela Dance Collective dedicated to kathak, a classical dance from North India.
His discography includes "Live in San Francisco Volume I" and "The Forgotten Empress," “In the
Footsteps of Babur: Musical Encounters from the Lands of the Mughals,” and his collaborations
with Grand Tapestry.
Salar continues his dedication to community engagement, workshops, and cross-cultural
understanding.
www.SalarNader.com