March 9, 2018 | UHCL Staff
At the core of Riyaaz Qawwali’s musical performances is interfaith awareness and a celebration of the diversity in South Asia. The seven-man ensemble returns to share its particular brand of centuries-old spiritual, devotional music for their second performance of the season at University of Houston-Clear Lake’s Bayou Theater Saturday, March 31, 7:30 p.m., with an additional event scheduled to enhance the audience’s understanding of the music’s cultural origins and message.
“Their first performance in November was such a success, we’re adding another element to teach people more about this genre of music,” said Assistant Director in the Office of Student Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Nhee Vang. “A member of Riyaaz Qawwali will help lead a discussion about the history of the music on Wednesday, March 28 from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. located in room 1.203 of the Student Services Classroom Building.”
“Bringing Riyaaz Qawwali back to the Bayou Theater is a great way to celebrate the diversity of our student body, and the Clear Lake region of Houston,” said Bayou Theater Managing Director Alex Malone. “We thought now would be the perfect time, since it’s just after the Hindu Holi celebration in March.”
Sonny, the Houston-based ensemble’s artistic director and lead singer, said that the ensemble represents many ethnicities and religions. “We are Indians, Pakistani, and Bengali, and we’re Hindu, Muslim, agnostic and atheist,” he said. “We sing primarily about love and higher levels of spirituality. Lyrically and musically, our musical is similar to Christian gospel music.”
“Our songs are about love and connecting with everyone,” he continued. “Our songs are over 400 years old and we talk about their relevance to today’s audience. Imagine taking a poetic theme like love and talking about it from different perspectives. If we’re talking about love, we explore new love, a return to love, loss of love. Translating these elements can be truly profound and it’s unique to this genre of music.”
Sonny believes that a Riyaaz Qawwali concert is a musical, cultural and anthropological experience. “It’s not what people expect,” he said. “The takeaway is that the audience members find many similarities to this culture, a culture they thought at the beginning of the concert was so foreign. Getting to the intellectual core of this genre can be very moving.”
Riyaaz Qawwali’s musical themes are not specific to any particular geographic or cultural region. “So many people can enjoy this music because Houston is a melting pot of cultures, and we have a vibrant and engaged South Asian community,” said Malone. “The UHCL Bayou Theater strives to be the cultural hub for live performance that shares its unique setting in the Houston Bay Area to reach patrons of all backgrounds.”
To purchase tickets for Riyaaz Qawwali, visit www.uhcl.edu/BayouTheater or call 281-283-2065.
