Cantor Arts Center presents Forms & Frequencies, a Thursday night music series featuring musicians and sound artists from the Bay Area and beyond, with special evening hours for audiences to visit exhibitions on view.

Join us on Thursday, December 4 in Cantor’s auditorium for a performance by Sheherazaad, whose contemporary folk-pop synthesis joins a new wave of South Asian diasporic soundscapes. Sheherazaad gleans from Western classical and South Asian sonic lineages, with contemporary voicing that may be described as alternative folk or experimental ballad. Sheherazaad’s original lyricism modernizes certain existing Hindi-Urdu poetic forms, channeling questions of displacement, mother tongue, imagined homelands, and beyond.

This performance is programmed in conjunction with Shahzia Sikander: Collective Behavior, which reframes South Asian visual histories through the contemporary feminist perspective of artist Shahzia Sikander. Throughout her practice, Sikander considers diasporic experiences, histories of colonialism, and Western relations with the global south and the wider Islamic world, often through the lens of gender and body politics.

Whether you’re a fan of live music, a lover of art, or simply looking for a unique night out, Forms & Frequenciespromises an unforgettable experience that resonates with all your senses.

All public programs at the Cantor Arts Center are always free!

Seating begins at 6pm; performance starts at 6:30pm

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About the Artist

Sheherazaad

Sheherazaad is an American artist of Indian descent, raised in the Bay Area and now based in New York. In March 2024, she released her debut mini-album Qasr (produced by Arooj Aftab) and has been steadily building a thoughtful, cross-cultural world around her music. She’s since signed with Erased Tapes Records (UK), as well as the European booking agency (It's Cosy Inside) and has completed several UK & Euro tours overseas. Her debut headline shows in London and Amsterdam ended with standing ovations—and has been back this summer for a few more festival runs, with a Benelux tour scheduled for January 2026. Following a self-initiated creative residency in Mumbai, Sheherazaad also played a series of curated showcases across North America, including Pioneer Works (Brooklyn), The Lab (SF), and Indian Summer Festival (Vancouver). Sheherazaad is currently finishing her first full-length studio album, set for early 2026. She also premiered her solo Off-Broadway debut The Ādat (Habit) earlier this year, which received glowing reviews and has just been confirmed for more shows this Fall with Brooklyn Raga Massive as a co-presenter.

Rohan Krishnamurthy

Indian-American percussionist, composer, and educator Dr. Rohan Krishnamurthy is one of the leading voices of Indian classical and cross-genre music in the South Asian diaspora. Acclaimed a "musical ambassador" by The Times of India, he received mridangam training from the legendary maestro, Sri. Guruvayur Dorai. Distinguished as a soloist, composer, and collaborator, Rohan performed with legendary Indian classical musicians and Grammy Award-winning global artists. Rohan leads The Alaya Project, an Indo-jazz-funk collective, which has performed at prestigious jazz and global music venues across the country. Their debut album has been praised by Jazziz Magazine, NPR, San Francisco Chronicle, and more. Rohan holds a Ph.D. in musicology from the Eastman School of Music and directs the RohanRhythm Percussion Studio with students from across the globe. Rohan is the recipient of international awards and grants and has taught at renowned institutions. His patented RohanRhythm drum tuning system is available worldwide.

Mehrnam Rastegari

Mehrnam Rastegari is a prominent Persian musician, award-winning film score composer, singer, violinist, and master Kamancheh player, who brings Persian music in new directions by combining it with rock and modern fusion styles. She explores new ways to introduce Persian microtonal music to a wider audience, experimenting with new sounds that connect tradition with contemporary music. Her performances have taken her to international stages, including some of the most prestigious music festivals worldwide.

Furthermore, she has composed for over 10 feature films, theaters, and award-winning short films. Notably, "Dispirited" earned her the "Best Original Score" award from the Melbourne City Independent Film Awards (MCIFA), and she received a nomination for the original score in the Japan Kadoma Festival for the film "Rotten." "A Poetess" also secured the "Best Persian Film" award at WMIFF, USA.

Jake Charkey

Jake Charkey is a pioneering cellist known for adapting the cello to Hindustani music, blending Indian classical traditions with contemporary genres. His unique sound has been featured in over 100 Bollywood soundtracks, the title theme of the Emmy-nominated Netflix series Sacred Games, season 2 of MTV’s Coke Studio, and multiple episodes of MTV Unplugged. Described by composer Clinton Cerejo as someone who “redefines the sound of cello,” Jake has performed at prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, and Lincoln Center.

An advocate for new music, Jake received a New Music USA Creator Fund award in 2023 for his double album Rasika: Beyond the Bounded Territories, which merges Hindustani music with modern cello compositions. He has collaborated with legendary musicians such as Zakir Hussain, Hariharan, and Arijit Singh and serves as Education Director for Brooklyn Raga Massive.  

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Parking

Free visitor parking is available along Lomita Drive as well as on the first floor of the Roth Way Garage Structure, located at the corner of Campus Drive West and Roth Way at 345 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA 94305. From the Palo Alto Caltrain station, the Cantor Arts Center is about a 20-minute walk or there the free Marguerite shuttle will bring you to campus via the Y or X lines.

Disability parking is located along Lomita Drive near the main entrance of the Cantor Arts Center. Additional disability parking is located on Museum Way and in Parking Structure 1 (Roth Way & Campus Drive). Please click here to view the disability parking and access points.

Accessibility Information or Requests

Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University is committed to ensuring our programs are accessible to everyone. To request access information and/or accommodations for this event, please complete this form at least one week prior to the event: museum.stanford.edu/access.

For questions, please contact disability.access@stanford.edu or Kwang-Mi Ro, kwangmi8@stanford.edu, (650) 723-3469.

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Photo: Zayira Ray