About this Event
Celebrate Mawlid, the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, with NMAA!
Experience the sounds and sights of both past and current traditions of this Islamic holiday. Enjoy Indian, Moroccan, and American Sufi music ensembles, and learn from artists and authors about how they draw on their spiritual journey in their art. Enjoy special performances, food, programming from local community groups, and more!
Dhruv Sangari, aka Bilal Chishty, is a Sufi qawwal and classical Indian vocalist, composer, teacher and scholar based in New Delhi, India and Konya, Turkiye. Drawn to Sufism and its music from an early age, Dhruv began visiting the courtyard of the shrine of Saint Nizamuddin Auliya. An eventual meeting with the legendary maestro late Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and his brother the late Ustad Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan, led Dhruv to become their disciple as well, and solidified his bond with qawwali and Sufi music.
Chishty's repertoire includes Farsi, Arabic, Punjabi, Urdu and Hindi verses from the works of famed poets and saints. In addition to stage concerts at major festivals and international collaborations with artists in more than 15 countries, he has recorded for a number of private albums, the Bombay film industry, and most recently, Coke Studio.
Bilal Chishty will be joined by the multi-faith National Sufi Ensemble.
The Sufi Music Festival is co-presented by the National Museum of Asian Art and the Reed Society of Sacred Arts.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Meyer Auditorium, Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, United States
USD 0.00