World Music Institute to Present Riyaaz Qawwali And The Harlem Gospel Travelers: Singing Together
The program will consist of performances from both ensembles individually, followed by a collaborative set of repertoire performed by both groups.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Sep. 21, 2023
World Music Institute will present Riyaaz Qawwali And The Harlem Gospel Travelers: Singing Together at Symphony Space - 2537 Broadway, Manhattan.
7 PM -Doors | 8 PM - Show
Tiered pricing - $37 / $47 / $57
Seated Show - Membership Benefits Apply
Singing Together is a qawwali and gospel music collaboration between Texas-based Riyaaz Qawwali and The Harlem Gospel Travelers from NYC. The program will consist of performances from both ensembles individually, followed by a collaborative set of repertoire performed by both groups. The collaborative pieces carefully interweave qawwali and gospel elements into a singular soundscape, where the listener doesn't know where one genre ends and the other begins. In the creation of these pieces, the lyrics were also carefully arranged to honor both traditions. Don't miss this unique show celebrating the unifying joy of spiritual music.
Riyaaz Qawwali returns to NYC after their sold out performance at Cathedral of St. John The Divine which was presented by World Music Institute in January of 2019. The group performs qawwalis (or sufi music), bhajans, shabads and ghazals. They represent the diversity and plurality of South Asia. The ensemble's musicians, who are settled in the United States, hail from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.
Born out of an non-profit music education program led by Eli "Paperboy" Reed, The Harlem Gospel Travelers-singers Thomas Gatling, George Marage, and Dennis Bailey-released their debut LP, He's On Time, to rave reviews in 2019, with Pop Matters hailing the album's "musical transcendence". Their 2022 release, Look Up!, also produced by Reed, marked the group's first first collection of totally original material, which NPR Music praised as having a "70s vibe but subject material is of this moment".
WMI's COLLABORATIONS series presents cross-cultural musical explorations and collaborations. This series often explores the ways in which the music of artists from one culture have influenced the music of another culture, or the music of seemingly widely varying cultures can be strikingly similar or complementary.
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