Monmouth U Hosts Caravanserai: Magical Drums, Mystical Voices

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Monmouth University is pleased to announce that it will provide complimentary admission to the Tari Khan Ensemble’s Drum Circle event on Wednesday, October 26. The program will be held in Wilson Hall at 8 p.m. The Drum Circle provides a rare opportunity to join one of the planet’s premier percussionists in an exploration of the history (as well as the joyous practice) of a hallowed ethnic musical tradition. RSVP recommended by calling 732.263.6889. The “Caravansarai: A Place Where Cultures Meet.
“Caravanserai: A Place Where Cultures Meet” is a series of performing arts and film residencies that put the spotlight on the art and artists of Pakistan, a nation with a complex and ever-evolving relationship with the United States.. A pair of exciting musical events in late October will this region’s invitation to join Caravanserai for this cultural connection.
Serving as the flagship performers for the Caravanserai series — and touring the United States for the first time in a history that predates the discovery of the New World — are Qawal Najmuddin Saiffudin and Brothers; standard bearers of a venerable Sufi poetry tradition, and themselves descendents of one of the young ensemble members who performed with qawwali founder Amir Khusrau in the 13thcentury. As keepers of the flame for a style of “mystical singing” that’s been practiced by few outside of their native land, the Najmuddin Saifudin troupe possesses the ability to transport audiences to a place well beyond the modern world, with a sound that must be experienced live to be fully appreciated.
Featured with these vocal artists inside the Pollak Theatre on the evening of Thursday, October 27 will be a fellow master of traditional Pakistani music, albeit one who is based right here in the States. Tabla virtuoso Ustad Tari Khan appears with his Tari Khan Ensemble on the 8:00 p.m. program, preceded on the evening of Wednesday, October 26 by a Drum Circle workshop for which the general public is invited to participate.
Monmouth University is proud to have been selected as one of five participating host entities for the inaugural year of “Caravanserai: A Place Where Cultures Meet.”
For more information on “Caravanserai: A Place Where Cultures Meet”, please visit www.artsmidwest.org. To purchase tickets, please contact the Monmouth University Performing Arts Box Office at 732-263-6889, or online at www.monmouth.edu/arts.