India Center of Westchester brings Qawwali program by Riyaaz group. For tkts online https://squareup.com/store/india-center-of-westchester-inc

ABOUT QAWWALI  Qawwali is a venerable yet refreshing musical tradition that dates back to the late 13th century. The word qaul refers to an "utterance (of the prophet)" and the first Qawwals (qawwali artists) repeated these qauls by making them the subject matter of their qawwalis.

“ The art of qawwali, as with most of the great Asian musical and literary tra­ditions, is transmitted orally ... The vehicle of music is used to bring one closer to the experience of the inner truth. The qawwal will dwell on certain words to give them a wider context creating great depth in the apparently simple language ... He will often repeat a phrase or sentence indicating both the obvious and hidden content by empha­sizing or ruminating upon particular words and syllables, taking the audi­ence into the discovery of hitherto obscure meanings. Thus, mundane objects are embued with deeper mean­ing — a spinning wheel becomes the wheel of life ” — Robert H. Browning, Founder of the World Music Institute. 

Riyaaz Qawwali is an ensemble that represents the unique diversity and plurality of South Asia. The ensemble’s musicians, who are settled in the United States, hail from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and also represent multiple religious and spiritual backgrounds. Trained in eastern and western classical music, the members have been professionally performing qawwali for the past eleven years. With conservative growth and heightened attention to quality, Riyaaz Qawwali has performed across the continental U.S., as well as internationally in Panama.