The department of music and office of international education at Hope College will present Arts Midwest World Fest, featuring Qawal Najmuddin Saifuddin and Brothers, on Thursday, Nov. 1, at 11 a.m. in the rotunda of the Martha Miller Center for Global Communication.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
Arts Midwest World Fest is a Minneapolis, Minn.-based program that connects small and mid-sized Midwestern communities to world cultures through week-long residencies with global performers. The program seeks to provide a multifaceted experience to community residents, particularly young people; integrate the artists and their music into a broader social, cultural, political, and historical framework; encourage young people to explore issues and understand concerns of diverse cultures; and to create a lasting musical and cultural impact on participants.
Qawal Najmuddin Saifuddin and Brothers are one of Pakistan’s most esteemed qawwali ensembles. The sons of Ustad Qawal Bahauddin Khansahab, the legendary maestro of the Khusrou tradition of qawwali singing, Qawal Najmuddin Saifuddin and Brothers are direct descendants of the first qawwali choirs dating back to the 13th century. Now they are the torch-bearers of more than 700 years of this mystical Sufi devotional singing tradition, Qawal Najmuddin Saifuddin and Brothers will travel from their home in Karachi to share this musical experience with communities in the Midwest.
The Martha Miller Center for Global Communication is located at 257 Columbia Ave., at the corner of Columbia Avenue and 10th Street.