Demystify Sufi & Bhakti Traditions, Transcend Boundaries

  • Individuals

    Seeking a deeper understanding of yourself, the missing pieces of your heritage and the connection with your past? Qawwali is an excellent genre to begin this journey with. You can explore faith traditions, philosophies, poetry and of course the music, ultimately revealing the yourself, where you have come from and with this knowledge, how you can be empowered in your future.

  • Parents & Teachers

    We help parents and teachers to educate and inspire children and teens about qawwali music and culture. The activities and workshops are great multi-generational experiences that can be shared with children.

  • Communities

    Music has a way of bringing people together, espcially qawwali. And when you understand the meaning of the lyrics, you become even more engaged. Through workshops, we enable communities to come together, experience this joy and transcend ethnic and religious boundaries, safely.

Have you ever wondered what qawwali music can do to enrich your life apart from the pure enjoyment it brings?

Qawwali music isn't purely entertainment. While today the music is found in big concert halls, it started out in open Sufi shrines. Actually, it's still found in those shrines. Within the Intro to Qawwali course, you get a glimpse into its history, the philosophers that shaped it, and how this music has changed. The journey is filled with history, music, while tying it back to how it relates to today and YOU.
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Meet Sonny

Academy Founder and Lead Instructor

Academy Director, Sonny is well known as the Artistic Director for Riyaaz Qawwali. He has over 31 years of classical music training, he has spent 2 decades devoted to understanding and growing awareness of qawwali. His work has been supported by The City of Houston, the State of Texas, and major non-profits. Sonny's fluency in languages of South Asia and his ability to straddle both South Asian and American cultural environments set him up to be a great mentor in better understanding qawwali and other folk traditions of South Asia.

South Asian art, and particularly performing arts require an audience to be fluent in many languages and cultural practices. Its precisely these hurdles that eroticize the art, even within diaspora. Students can now overcome these barriers with Sonny, through a range of educational services and online offerings within the Riyaaz Academy.

More about Sonny

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Academy Services

Riyaaz Academy brings people together through a shared understanding of qawwali, poetry and the associated culture

  • Coaching

    Schedule a one-on-one session with Sonny. Sessions can explore one of the following:

    • Learning vocals
    • Learning harmonium
    • Discussing poetry
    • Better understanding Qawwali (for students enrolled in the Intro to Qawwali course)

    Find out more

  • Online Courses

    Learn at your own pace, in your own time on your favorite device. Courses include:

    • Qawwali 101
    • Amir Khusrau (coming soon)
    • Bulleh Shah (coming soon)
    • Qawwali Vocals (coming soon)
    • Devotional Tabla (coming soon)

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  • Community

    Get exclusive access to our growing community, The Riyaaz Circle and learn how art can facilitate healing and be applied in your lives. Understand how:

    • Qawwali ties to contemporary social issues
    • Music bonds parents & children
    • Poetry's challenges conservative narratives
    • Art can catalyze community healing
    • Artists can encourage civic engagement

    Join us

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