In March 2019 we produced and managed a high profile 8-date UK tour with the leading Sufi maestros Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwals.
Nephews of legendary Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rizwan and Muazzam are the contemporary torchbearers of the Qawwali tradition, a centuries-old form of Sufi devotional music from the Indian subcontinent.
The tour began in Cardiff on Saturday 16th March and ran until 31st March. This tour highlighted a growing demand for Sufi and diverse music in mainstream venues, with performances at major venues in cities around the UK, including London’s Barbican, Town Hall Birmingham, Leeds Town Hall, Manchester’s Royal Northern and St George’s Bristol.
For a full list of tour dates, visit our Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali 2019 tour page.
Jaswinder Singh, Director of Asian Arts Agency, said before the tour:
“We are delighted to present Rizwan and Muazzam for a UK tour in 2019. Rizwan and Muazzam are arguably the finest Sufi musicians in the world. With this tour we are really excited to introduce them to more audiences. The additional venues and cities around the country highlights the growing demand for Sufi music in the UK’s major concert venues.
Asian Arts Agency is one of the leading touring producers of contemporary Asian music in the UK and we are pleased that we can continue bringing world class artists to UK audiences.”
HIGH PROFILE NATIONAL PRESS COVERAGE
We were delighted to attract high profile media coverage for the Sufi maestros, with performances on BBC Radio 4’s flagship arts programme Loose Ends, an extended interview with Cerys Matthews on BBC 6 Music, an interview on BBC Asian Network and features in Eastern Eye, Songlines Magazine and iWeekend.
Our mission is to extend the boundaries of South Asian music and introduce artists to a wider audience. The mainstream press coverage for this tour and the performances in the UK’s major concert venues certainly helped achieve this mission. It was also great to see really diverse audiences for all the concerts.
Read our news item about the press coverage here.
A HUGE SUCCESS
The concert at London’s Barbican Centre sold out weeks in advance, Sage Gateshead sold out and other venues received near full houses.
Eastern Eye’s entertainment editor wrote a glowing review of the Barbican performance saying “Qawwali group comes of age during stunning UK tour”. The response from audiences was phenomenal with standing ovations at most venues and amazing feedback on social media.