Music Lovers and Qawwali Enthusiasts,

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As 2013 nears its end, we would like to thank the wonderful people and organizations that made this year successful and set us up for wonderful endeavors for 2014. This year, we debuted our first CD: Kashti (Purchase here), that 90 of you supported through our crowd-surfing campaign.

Riyaaz Qawwali halted performances for the beginning of  2013 to focus on our first CD Kashti. This resulted in a successful launch of Kashti (June) that took place at Asia Society, where we were joined by over 170 guests. The CD has gotten praise from many, including the CG of India and Pakistan, Meena Dutt (Houston), Isabel Soffer (NYC), Dr. A Hyder (Austin), G. Khosla (Detroit), A. Adnan (Dallas) and Vipul Mehta (India). We are humbled by the appreciation that you have shown for our work. 

After June, the rest of the year included 14 other performances and one of these was exceptionally memorable. In October, we shared the stage with the well-known composer Philip Glass for a concert celebrating the 10th Anniversary of The Garrison Institute in New York. While that was special in itself, the event was organized by the unofficial father of World Music in the USA, Robert Browning. The concert was a wonderful experience and it was a blessing for us to be in the mix of such legends, all for such a wonderful cause. Mr. Glass and Mr. Browning had the kindest things to say and we look forward to producing some music with them in 2014 as well. 

Our 2014 will be on initiatives to bring qawwali to more diverse audiences in US, Canada and possibly even UK, with the focus on producing original pieces as a singular ensemble as well as collaborating with other noteworthy artists. Some upcoming projects include (that we look to you for help include):

• Audio & Video series that showcases the literary, cultural and musical significance of qawwali
• Collaborations with Western musicians (quartet, gospel group)
• Lecture Demonstrations that highlight the plurality in poetry used in qawali
• Recording ghazals (of both old and contemporary poets including Sahir Ludhianvi, Mirza Ghalib, Tahir Faraz and Faiz Ahmed Faiz)

Follow our journey through facebook: https://www.facebook.com/riyaazqawwali.  If you have any ideas for the group in 2014, we look forward to hearing from you. 

Have a safe and joyful start to 2014! 

With peace and humility,
Riyaaz Qawwali Party

Latest Free YouTube Release: Tere Ishq Nachaya by Bulleh Shah.