Draft:Khalil Sheikh

Khalil Sheikh (born on January 1986, Khaf, Khorasan, Iran) is an Iranian veteran Folk Musician, Dutar Virtuoso and Maghami Vocalist.

Early life and education
Dutar Virtuoso, Khalil Sheikh, who is a great master of Maghami Music, was born in Khaf, Khorasan, north-east of Iran; in one of the most culture-loving and musical family.

Since his childhood, he inherited playing dotar from his grandfather and his mother. His grandfather had a gentle voice and was following the traditional music of the country so that he had benefited from Khorasan and was fully familiar with region’s music, His mother also has a good voice, and Khalil grew up in such an environment.

His father's house was the place where most of the well-known musicians and music mentors used to come and go, so basically was a grounding space for music and art, and it had a great impact on Khalil Sheikh, and in that time by 80s lots of recordings were recorded in this house with the presence of the late master Gholamhossein Arfa.

He was a self-taught musician to the age of 15 who began learning Dutar. (a two string instrument with a pear-shaped body) and also the impact of his elder brother.

The thirst and love for dotar was so much that he made his own instrument with (piece of wood, Clutch wire and Oil tin) also at the very young age he would have spent so much time in the Instrumental boutique. In order to enrich his understanding of music, Khalil Sheikh obtained more encounters with the late Master Osman Mohammadparst and the late Master Zulfiqar Asgarian, who had a tremendous credit and impression on his familiarity with comprehension, Conception of Khorasan folk music.

He entered the Faculty of Arts in 2009 and received his degree in handicrafts, and in this field, he has been involved in handicrafts and exhibitions.

Career
Khalil Sheikh has a wide range of musical influences, uses Tanbur, Setar instruments, and crosses cultural borders with his work, but at his center he is an intense player of the Dutar. In his playing Sheikh often pins Iranian classical music structures to the rich folk modes and melodies of the Khorasan tradition of Iran.

He has ever more seek to benefit and charter from different school of thoughts and masters. During his artistic activity, he has had many opportunities to perform Folk Music concerts and to identify this music in other regions of Iran.

To introduce this instrument, Khalil Sheikh has trained many students in other cities of Iran, which encourages this type of music, the Maghqami Music that has been this ancient heritage for thousands of years up until now and to be safe from oblivion and forgetfulness.

Khalil Sheikh strongly believes that Folk Music must not be limited to provinces but also Maghami music should be introduced to the world as part of original Iranian culture

Despite of his young age all these years shown how much he has worked on Folk Music to keep it alive.