Daily Times

One of the most celebrated, and arguably the finest, qawwals in the world today, Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad Qawwal will be performing live in major cities in the United Kingdom between April 5 and April 15, 2018. The performances will be at venues in London, Birmingham, and Manchester, and are being organised by Mehfil Arts Ltd.

The performances are part of the 2018 Tour of Fareed Ayaz – Abu Muhammad Qawwal. Tour information can be found at www.mehfilarts.com.

“We performed last August at the Royal Albert Hall in London as part of the BBC Proms series on the 70th anniversary of the partition of India-Pakistan, and are delighted to be back again this April performing for audiences in the United Kingdom”, says Fareed Ayaz. “Our goal is to spread the message of love and peace through Sufi qawwali music, and educate the world about the rich, syncretic culture of South Asia.”

“Our mission is to bring the music of South Asia to the United Kingdom and Europe in an authentic, pure and faithful manner,” says Uzair Ansari, Director, Mehfil Arts. “We find qawwali music to be the best medium to fulfill the purpose, and are extremely pleased to be able to bring one of the best qawwals in the world today to the United Kingdom.”

Qawwali is one of the world’s oldest oral traditions and celebrates love in all its diverse manifestations. Amir Khusrau formalised the genre of qawwali, in the thirteenth century, and over the last eight centuries it has evolved into a universal song of love, peace and brotherhood.

Fareed Ayaz, Abu Muhammad Qawwal are considered to be competent, knowledgeable, and talented qawwals in the world today. Their ancestry can be traced to Miyan Samat Bin Ibrahim, who was a disciple of Hazrat Amir Khusrau, the inventor of qawwali, and the very first qawwal in this world. The qawwali of Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad Qawwal represents the genre in its most pristine, pure and authentic form; their musical tradition integrates spiritual, philosophical, religious, musical, and poetic elements to create an atmosphere that facilitates a spiritual connection between participants in a mehfil-e-samaa (a gathering of listeners and performers of qawwali) – and the ones they truly love. Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad Qawwal are known for the authenticity of their song, their knowledge of melodic modes and rhythm, their extensive repertoire, and their ability to engage, entertain and enthrall listeners. They travel the world, all year long, to perform qawwali; Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Mauritius Morocco, Nepal, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Tunisia, Turkey, Zimbabwe, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America are amongst the countries where they perform regularly.

Mehfil Arts is a London-based performing arts organisation, dedicated to celebrating the rich cultural, historical and artistic heritage of South Asia. The organisation brings both prominent and upcoming artists from South Asia for concerts, workshops, and seminars about the culture, arts and history, in Europe, and the United Kingdom.

Published in Daily Times, March 13^th 2018.