PEM PRESENTS QAWWALI DEVOTIONAL MUSIC FROM THE SUFI TRADITIONS OF PAKISTAN

SUNDAY, JUNE 26 | 3 PM | FREE WITH MUSEUM ADMISSION

The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) welcomes Pakistan’s preeminent classical vocalist, Ustad Naseeruddin Saami and musicians the Saami Brothers for a live concert in Morse Auditorium on Sunday, June 26, at 3 pm. The performance, which is free with museum admission, follows their recent sold-out concert at New York’s Asia Society. Popularized by the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, qawwali songs are based on the mystical poetry of Sufism. Working its way to ecstatic peaks with strong voices and percussive hand claps, this traditional devotional music seeks to transport musicians and audience members closer to the divine.

The Saami Brothers Qawwal is a six-member ensemble, considered one of the most accomplished qawwals today. Versed in a number of languages including Hindi, Punjabi, Arabic and Persian, they weave various genres of Indian classical music into their performances. The concert also features a solo performance by their father, Ustad Naseeruddin Saami, the only South Asian musician who knows the 49 “lost” microtones established in Baghdad in the ninth century. He will be joined by renowned tabla player Nitin Mitta, who has performed at UCLA’s Royce Hall and The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Carnegie Hall in New York.

The musical performance complements the current exhibition Intersections: Anila Quayyum Agha,  which bathes visitors in a geometric array of light and shadow. Inspired by traditional Islamic architectural motifs, Pakistani-American artist Anila Quayyum Agha’s laser-cut steel lantern conjures the design of the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain, a historic site of cross-cultural intersection where a thousand years ago Islamic and Western cultures thrived in coexistence. Agha, an internationally renowned, award-winning artist, creates mixed-media works that engage topics ranging from global politics and cultural multiplicity, to mass media and gender roles.  Intersections: Anila Quayyum Agha is on view through October 16, 2016.

Concert reservations can be made by June 25 at pem.org/calendar or by calling 978-542-1511. Limited tickets are available at the admissions desk on the day of the event.

Music from Sufi Traditions is made possible by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (NE). Intersections is made possible by supporters of PEM’s Present Tense Initiative: Terry and Dick Albright, Dick and Deborah Carlson, Susan and Appy Chandler and Fay Chandler. The East India Marine Associates of the Peabody Essex Museum provided additional support.

PHOTO CREDIT

Courtesy Photo.

ABOUT THE PEABODY ESSEX MUSEUM

Over the last 20 years, the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) has distinguished itself as one of the fastest-growing art museums in North America. Founded in 1799, it is also the country’s oldest continuously operating museum. At its heart is a mission to enrich and transform people's lives by broadening their perspectives, attitudes and knowledge of themselves and the wider world. PEM celebrates outstanding artistic and cultural creativity through exhibitions, programming and special events that emphasize cross-cultural connections, integrate past and present and underscore the vital importance of creative expression. The museum's collection is among the finest of its kind boasting superlative works from around the globe and across time -- including American art and architecture, Asian export art, photography, maritime art and history, Native American, Oceanic and African art. PEM's campus affords a varied and unique visitor experience with hands-on creativity zones, interactive opportunities and performance spaces. Twenty-four noted historic structures grace PEM’s campus, including Yin Yu Tang, a 200-year-old Chinese house that is the only such example of Chinese domestic architecture on display in the United States, and the Phillips Library, which holds one of the nation’s most important museum-based collections of rare books and manuscripts. HOURS: Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 am-5 pm, and the third Thursday of every month until 9 pm. Closed Mondays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. ADMISSION: Adults $20; seniors $17; students $12. Additional admission to Yin Yu Tang: $5. Members, youth 16 and under and residents of Salem enjoy free general admission and free admission to Yin Yu Tang. INFO: Call 866‐745‐1876 or visit pem.org

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