Reflections on Khusrau and Kabir: Featuring Ustad Naseeruddin Saami and Ramneek Singh

Date: Friday, May 17, 2024 | 8 pm
Price: $60 Regular | $54 Friends | $45 Students and Seniors
Meet and Greet + Performance: $80 Regular | $72 Friends
A limited number of $20 rush tickets will be available on the day of the performance.
Tickets include same-day Museum admission.

Join us for an evening of music and poetry as we explore the rich legacy of Hazrat Amir Khusrau and Saint Kabir Das. 

Among the most revered and popular poet saints in India, both Khusrau and Kabir spoke of love unabashedly. A love that went beyond gender, colour, caste, and creed. 

Khusrau and Kabir’s work is rooted in devotion, discipline and multi-ethnicity. Khusrau represents a pluralistic identity and is credited with the creation of musical styles including Khayal, Tarana, Qawwali and Ghazal. Through them, he explores his poetic abilities to express love and devotion for the Higher being, while Kabir’s works urge people to look within and suggest that true God is within the person who is on the path of righteousness. 

About the Artists 

Ramneek Singh is an internationally acclaimed vocalist, proficient in musical genres like Khayal, Tarana, Thumri, Shabad, Bhajan, Sufiana and Folk. Hailing from the rich lineage of Ustad Amir Khan of Indore Gharana, she carries forward these traditions in North America. She runs the "Sur-rang Music Academy" and has trained several students all over the world while also showcasing her music through performances and workshops. Being a recipient of several awards globally, she is also known for her song in the Deepa Mehta film, "Midnight's Children.”

Ustad Naseeruddin Saami started his training at the age of 10 years. His style of singing is called sudh bani. From 1958–62 he trained with his grand-uncle Sardar Khan in Lahore. 

A strict follower of his family tradition, Ustad Saami kept ‘Sur’ as the most important component of his singing. An expert in khayal gaiki, he offers a heartfelt rendition of the raga, manifesting the emotions, which are mentioned in the bandish. Versatile, he also sings Sadara, Thumri, Tarana, and Dadra.

Ustad Saami has performed khayal in various festivals like WOMAD, WOMADelaide, Le Guess Who?, Roskilde Festival, Oster Festival and in countries such as: India, USA, France, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan. 

The Art of Devotion

This performance, presented by Small World Music and the Aga Khan Museum, is part of the Art of Devotion series — an exploration of Qawwali music.

Don't miss the rest of the series:

An Introduction to Qawwali Music
May 15 | Off-Site Lecture | Small World Music Centre
$10 | Reserve Tickets

Saami Brothers Qawwal
May 18 | Off-Site Performance | Toronto Metropolitan University Theatre
Tickets From $30 | Reserve Tickets

The Museum’s Performing Arts programming is generously supported by the Nanji Family Foundation.

Presented with the participation of the Government of Canada.

About Small World Music

For more than two decades, Small World Music has been celebrating cultural diversity and showcasing a range of local, domestic, and international talent to audiences across the Greater Toronto Area. Their vision goes beyond simply presenting culturally diverse artists to include finding ways of working with, showcasing, and supporting underrepresented, marginalized, and newcomer professionals onstage and behind the scenes to encourage sustainable careers, and become a leader in the music industry.

Small World Music thanks their Community Partners Virasat and Tawoos Initiative. 

The 2024 Small World Music Series is sponsored by TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment and funded by the Government of Canada, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council.