Get Ready for an Ethereal Performance
Date
Sept 7, 2024, Saturday
Time
6:00 PM
Venue
Zilkha Hall, Hobby Center, Houston
Experience your moment
of
divine enchantment in
The Event
Welcome to an evening of transcendent music where the multiple award-winning singer, songwriter, and composer Sonam Kalra brings her internationally acclaimed Sufi-Gospel Project to Houston in a soul-stirring performance titled Ibadat. This unique presentation is a testament to the power of music in liberating people from various labels and uniting them with the bond of love and compassion.
The Sufi Gospel Project blends diverse spiritual traditions, weaving together the soulful strains of Western gospel with the rich textures of Indian classical music. Through her seamless integration of Eastern spiritual texts, Western poetry, and an array of global sounds, Sonam Kalra crafts a universal voice of faith that speaks directly to the heart.
Get ready to tune into the divine soundscapes where the Sikh morning prayer merges with the timeless melody of 'Amazing Grace' , the wisdom of Sant Kabir Das resonates alongside the hymn 'Abide With Me', and the words of Punjabi poet Baba Bulleh Shah intertwine with Persian verses. Ibadat is more than a concert; it is an amalgamation of the essence of all ideologies, a reminder that, beneath all those diverse layers, at the core, we all are one.
Meet the Artist
SONAM KALRA - The Voice of Unity
Sonam Kalra is a unique performing artist who harnesses the transformative power of art and music to make this world a better place for all. She is a globally recognized, multiple award-winning singer, songwriter, and composer who effortlessly bridges the worlds of Indian and Western music. Sonam has been trained under the tutelage of renowned Indian vocalists like Shubha Mudgal and Pandit Sarathi Chatterjee and has mastered Western music genres like Gospel and jazz with Ashley Clement and Classical Opera under Hur Chul Yung.
‘Sonam Kalra and the Sufi Gospel Project’, is Sonam’s unique musical initiative that blends the sacred sounds of Eastern and Western traditions. This internationally acclaimed project is a unique style of music that weaves together prayers, poetry, texts, hymns, and songs from various religious faiths and ideologies to create a universal voice of faith that resonates with the soul. Sonam’s music is more than just a fusion; it is a harmonious celebration of equality, compassion, and spiritual unity, a message that has made her, a voice of peace in today's polarized world.
With performances at prestigious venues like the Sydney Opera House, Cairo Opera House, and MTV’s Coke Studio, Sonam has captivated audiences in over 30 countries. Her work, including the deeply moving Partition: Stories of Separation, continues to inspire and connect people across divides, making her not just a musician, but a messenger of hope and healing. Sonam is not only celebrated as a versatile singer and composer but also as an inspirational speaker and role model, sharing her learnings from a creative and deeply spiritual journey through her music and her words.
The IAA
Indo-American Association (IAA), a Houston Cultural Treasure, is a 31-year non-profit 501(c) (3) organization for the promotion of cultural arts of India. Our mission is to bridge cultural divides by showcasing the rich heritage of the Indian subcontinent through multi-disciplinary performing arts as well as cultural, educational, and artistic expressions. IAA presents a thoughtfully curated season of up to 10 live shows each year, in addition to participating in several community outreach initiatives.
The events are targeted at multicultural audiences, which have grown with each passing year. Today, the IAA is regarded as a leading cultural arts organization presenting world-class talent in Houston and other North American cities. Over the past three decades, IAA has hosted legends and the “who’s who” of Indian music, dance, and theater—including Grammy winners Pt. Ravi Shankar, Zakir Hussain, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, and Ricky Kej—to entertain and enthral Houston audiences.