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Steve Oda (born July 20, 1946m in Toronto, Canada) is a Canadian sarod player, composer, and teacher of Hindustani classical music.
A Canadian of Japanese ancestry, Steve Oda, began his musical education at the age of seven, learning to play slide guitar and then jazz guitar. His love of creativity through musical expression led him to the classic music of North India and the sarod.
His classical training started in 1971 under the guidance of Aashish Khan, and from 1973 under Aashish's father, Ali Akbar Khan.
In 1996, Steve received a Canada Council Artists Grant to pursue intensive studies at an advanced level with Ali Akbar Khan and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1998. There he served for two years as Executive Director of the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California. Among his many performances were special invitations from the Ali Akbar College of Music, the Asian Art Museum, the Ragmala Association of Canada, the University of Toronto, and the Spirit of India Festival.
He has performed with Sharda Sahai, Bob Becker (Nexus), Anubrata Chatterjee, Vineet Vyas, Ravi Naimpally (TASA), Ty Burhoe, Stephen Bacchus and Betty Moon.
Steven has accompanied Ali Akbar Khan, Aashish Khan, and Anindo Chatterjee. He has performed at his teacher's college in California as well as in numerous Canadian cities from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Victoria, British Columbia. The demand for his playing continues to increase in places like Chicago, New York, Paris, Amsterdam, Spain, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, and now in Japan.
Oda currently resides in San Rafael, California, actively teaching and performing music of North India.
Discography
- 2011: Steve Oda on Sarode, Classical Ragas of India – Steve Oda (sarod), Debopriyo Sarkar (tabla), Pushpa Oda (Tanpura)
- 2010: India & Africa: A Tribute to John Coltrane – Anthony Brown's Asian American Orchestra
- 2007: Ragas of North India – Steve Oda (Sarode), Michael Lewis (Tabla), Pushpa Oda (Tanpura)
- 2006: Invocation – Ty Burhoe – Tala Records
- 2005: Classical North Indian Music – Steve Oda (sarod), Anubrata Chatterjee(tabla)
- 2004: Marwa – Steve Oda (Sarode), Debopryo Sarkar (Tabla), Pushpa Oda (Tanpura) – Ohm Productions