Sada-e-Watan
Sydney ™
sadaewatan@gmail.com
King of Sufi Music Ustad Shafqat Ali Khan is coming again on Visit of Australia
Master of Sufi Music Ustad Shafqat Ali Khan will perform in Sydney
Pakistani Sufi and
Ghazal singer Ustad Shafqat Ali Khan (Born June 17, 1972 Lahore Pakistan)
belongs to the Sham Churasi School from East Punjab. This school of music has a
long tradition that dates to the Mughul times of Emperor Akbar. This school was
established by the two brothers Chand Khan and Suraj Khan. His uncle Ustad
Nazakat Ali Khan and father Ustad Salamat Ali Khan, the internationally
acclaimed classical singers, from the 10th generation of the Sham Churasi
School.
Shafqat began performing at the age of seven. His first performance was at the Lahore Music Festival in 1979. Shafqat has performed throughout Europe with several important concerts in France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Holland, Spain, and Switzerland Geneva Festival. He is a well-established performer throughout India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. He has performed as well throughout Canada and the United States with some key performances at the Smithsonian Institute in the 1988 and 1996, and for the World Music Institute at the New York’s Metropolitan Museum in 1988 and Merkin Concert Hall in 1991.
Shafqat in the recipient
of a number of awards, in 1986 in Lahore he received the Amir Khusro Award as
the best young classical singer. In 1987, he received the Gold Medal from
Faisalabad University, Pakistan. In 1995 he received the Ghanda Award from New
Deli University. He has appeared on recordings from Nimbus (UK), EMI (India),
HMV (UK), Water Lily Acoustics (USA), Westron (India), Mega Sound (India),
Keytune Production (Holland), Plus Music (India) (forthcoming), and Folk
Heritage (Pakistan).
Mr Shafqat Ali Khan is the youngest singer of Pakistan
who received pride of performance from Pakistani government.
Mr Khan’s
foray into the world of fusion music began with the song, Teray Ishq Nachaya
Ker Ke Thaya Thaya, produced by Bollywood’s Bappi Lahiri.
Mr Khan sings
Ghazals and Sufi Kalam specially bully Shah Khawaja Farid Shah Hussain and Amir
Khusro.
Mr Khan prays five times a
day, doesn’t smoke or drink. “My music includes praising God as He alone is
worthy of it,” said the singer. “He will sustain us.”
In Shafqat’s view,
music represents a single language shared by mankind. His own tastes in
recreational listening – including symphonic works, pop, jazz and opera –
evince a fundamentally eclectic nature and a willingness to experiment. Both
Shafqat and his father share a love of Nat King Cole’s singing. Shafqat cites
Cole’s vocals as coming “Straight from the heart.
“Their self-style
classical fusion offers an intriguing blend of pure classical vocals and modern
ambient textures.”
– Lloyd Barde, Backroads – Heartbeats
“The classical
fusion … an intriguing blend of pure classical vocals and modern ambient
textures … ” – Lisa Tsering, India West.
