PictureArts Council of Pakistan Karachi
Robert Browning Associates, Lotus Music & Dance, and Roulette present
Friday, April 11, 2025 at 8:00pm                      
Hamza Akram Qawwal & Brothers
Sufi Songs of Pakistan

Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue at 3rd Avenue
​Downtown Brooklyn  | tel. 917-267-0363
​
Pakistan’s Hamza Akram Qawwal & Brothers, grandsons of the revered Munshi Raziuddin, return to Roulette after their mesmerizing performances in 2019 and March of 2024.They have been acclaimed for their riveting interpretations of qawwali, the ecstatic improvisational Sufi vocal tradition made famous in the West by the late Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. This award-winning ensemble represents the 26th generation of the seven centuries-old Qawwal Bachon ka Gharana of Delhi founded by Saamat bin Ibrahim, the first qawwal of the subcontinent and principal student of mystic Amir Khusrau. Hamza has studied with maestro Naseeruddin Saami, as well as with his uncle, Fareed Ayaz Qawwal, with whom he and his brothers have toured. The ensemble builds a state of ecstasy through rhythmic handclapping, drumming and powerful vocals (similar to gospel in its call-and-response manner), and performs songs that range from 13th century
mystical Persian poems to more recent Punjabi poems that speak of the intoxication of divine love.

$40 advance*; $45 at door; $35 seniors & students with ID
(advance* and at door)
(*+$2.50 processing fee per advance ticket)