A New York Concert for the Riyaaz Books

This was a truly momentous concert for Riyaaz. The hosts, the audience, and the energy from the beautiful space made it such a historic night for us.

Fighting the cold, more than 500 of our friends & fans came out to hear us at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. It was an evening concert, with a start time of 7:30pm. The concert was hosted by World Music Institute., one of our dream presenters! And it was co-presented by the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, one of the largest cathedrals in the country, as we were told!

The weekend, and especially the day of the concert (Saturday Jan 19, 2019) was expected to get a major snow storm. As the show time neared, we got the wonderful news that the show was SOLD OUT. Not only were we presented by the same presenters that hosted Nusrat’s concerts, but the show was SOLD OUT! Where we once thought people may sit home and stay warm, qawwali lovers took the chance supported our work So honored!

Our concert pieces were a mix of qawwalis from the legends of this genre. We were trying to stay true to the space as well, and paying respect the energies of the Cathedral. Our message was one of love and harmony. Hence, the qawwalis we sang included originals of our own, but also qawwalis of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Sabri Brothers, Wadali Brothers and A. R. Rehman.

Voice of America (major US media agency) covered the performance. They interviewed us, and also brought a lovely crew to recorded the concert. Several TV channels across South Asia aired the concert. Luckily, we got a hold of the footage. If you would like, check out the new report below!