Alan Kushan is arguably one of the most accomplished Santur players in the world. He stands out not only because of his brilliant realizations of traditional Persian compositions, but also for his innovative avant-garde soundscapes. He is not only a builder of Persian instruments but also a virtuoso in performing Persian traditional music. His style, however, is not limited to the traditional approaches but it extends itself beyond any such boundaries. He applies his own touch to the music that he performs, a touch which he has developed after experiencing the new trend of music, not only in his native land of Iran, but in the world, at these final days of this century.

For over fifteen years, Alan has maintained an active involvement performing and composing for theatrical and cinematic productions. He is the recipient of numerous awards for his accomplishments including the 1991 Genie Award for "Best Short Film", and a nomination in 1993 for the Dora Mavor Moore Award for "Best Musical Score for Theatrical Production". Alan was recently honored as Associate Composer at the Canadian Music Center.

The instrument which he uses is also his own invention, which is designed after the traditional Persian Santur (hammered dulcimer), an old instrument with a sound box and several sets of strings. Each set usually consists of four strings which are tuned in the same pitch, so every four strings, which are supported by individual bridges, would sound the same in multiplied resonance when played with special wooden hammers. Similar instruments exist in different countries all around the world: Chinese Yan Chin, Indian Santur, and also the Rumanian Cymbalom. The structure ultimately is what the soundboard of a later invention, the piano, has been designed after.

The sound you hear in "Time Traveler Suite" in Pegah album is from a new and unique instrument designed and hand crafted by Alan Kushan, using strings from Piano, Harp and Harpsichord. This instrument creates a bass sound not found in the family of Santur, yet Alan has created this instrument using the Santur trapezoidal box concept, and plays it using Santur hammers.

One of Alan Kushan's many contributions to the SANTUR has been to broaden its musical range by increasing the number of bridges (notes) available to the musician. This expands the SANTUR from a typically restricted pitch area into an instrument capable of traveling previously unexplored musical territories. Alan designs and constructs these unique SANTURS and, in addition to differing gauges of steel and copper wire, he uses piano and harp strings to create fascinating variations in tonal quality. In this album he is accompanied by Ustad Abhijit Banerjee on Tabla.

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