Monmouth University is pleased to announce that it will provide complimentary admission to the Tari Khan Ensemble on October 26 at 8 p.m. in Wilson Hall and Qawal Najmuddin Saifuddin & Brothers/Tari Khan Ensemble on October 27 at 8 p.m. in Pollak Theatre. Call 732-263-5715 to reserves tickets. The events are part of Caravanserai: A Place Where Cultures Meet.
Coordinated by the Minneapolis-based nonprofit organization Arts Midwest on behalf of the U.S. Regional Arts Organizations, and with the support of the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, Caravanserai: A Place Where Cultures Meet is formatted as 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. Beginning with a pair of exciting musical events in late October, the area served by Monmouth University will be the region’s exclusive 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 13th century. 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.
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Monmouth University is proud to have been selected as one of the participating host entities for the inaugural year of “Caravanserai: A Place Where Cultures Meet.” For our faculty and administrators, it’s a continuation of our quest to bring the most diverse and unique slate of arts offerings to our own corner of the world — and to the people of Monmouth County and central New Jersey, it’s a chance to gain a new perspective and appreciation of a fast-changing culture that remains as fascinating to Americans as it is mysterious.
For more information on Caravanserai: A Place Where Cultures Meet, please visit www.artsmidwest.org. To reserve tickets, please contact the Monmouth University Performing Arts Box Office at 732-263-5715.
