Irshad Khan knows what it’s like to grow up in the spotlight.

Son of legendary Indian musicians Imrat Khan and nephew of Vilayat Khan, Irshad emerged as a child prodigy, giving public performances on the sitar at the age of seven.

The Khan family is the leading proponent of the Imdad Khani Gharana style of sitar music. This style, which originated and has remained in the Khan family, can be traced back to the 16th century courts of the great Moghul Dynasty. Irshad is part of the eighth generation of this musical tradition.

The distinguishing characteristic of the style is the emphasis on producing vocal-like sounds from the sitar, known as “gayakiang.” The family has produced several legendary musicians: Irshad’s father and uncle as well as his great-great-grandfather, who was the creator of the bass sitar, or “surbahar.”

Irshad Khan, himself, has a very impressive resume. He made his international debut at Queen Elizabeth Hall at the age of 13, and in 1981 was the youngest musician ever to perform in Royal Albert Hall. At the age of 18, he became the youngest soloist to play at PROMS, a prestigious music festival in London.

Irshad is also an accomplished vocal musician, who like his father and uncle, can stop playing and start singing in the middle of sitar recitals.

Irshad’s vocal style blends several famous Indian music traditions. In addition to giving performances and lecture demonstrations around the world, he teaches and composes music from his home in Toronto.

Narayan Devanathan, president of Iowa State’s SITAR organization, said Irshad “combines pure talent with showmanship.”

You may not know the names of Irshad, Imrat and Vilayat Khan, but there’s reason for that.

When most people think of Indian music, they think of Ravi Shankar and George Harrison. While Shankar is a legend in both India and the West, his contemporaries Imrat and Vilayat are equally legendary in India.

And while Shankar sought to promote Indian music in the West, the Khans concentrated on spreading their music in India, blending Indian classical and folk music into a unique and brilliant style.

Devanathan is expecting a good turnout for the soon-to-be legendary sitar player.

“For most Indian music concerts, we’ve had more non-Indians than Indians attend,” he said. “It speaks well of Ames’ multiculturalism.”

Irshad Khan will perform Saturday night at 7 p.m. in Fisher Theater. Tickets can be obtained by contacting the Society for Indian Tradition and Arts (SITAR) at [email protected] or the Indian Cultural Association (ICA).