This in-class lecture demonstration by Pakistani artist, Arooj Aftab who developed a style in the early 2000s that combines Sufi-mystical poetry with the spirit of independent rock. Her music is inspired by the poetry and musicality of Rumi, Abida Parveen, and other Sufi poets as well as the reworking of classical Pakistani and North Indian forms like khayal and kafi. She says Sufi words have impacted her writing: “It is very much about the feeling that (Sufi poetry) leaves you with: calmness, peace, patience, simplicity. And then sadness, longing, wandering, searching, openness, oneness.” She says her music is, “something new that’s both musically and politically resonant for the contemporary moment.” Co-presented with the Creative Alliance.

Location: CA 2079

For more information, please contact Joanna Pecore or Nerissa Paglinauan at (410) 704-2807 or visit us at www.towson.edu/asianarts.