Classical Indian and Sufi Music
A 17th-generation musician, Ustad Ghulam Farid Nizami is one of the foremost musicians and music instructors of Pakistan. He masterfully presents a vast array of styles including Classical Indian, Ghazal, Geet, Qawwali, Bhajan, Pakistani Folk and Sufi music. His principal instruments are Sitar, Vocals, Tabla, and Harmonium.
A master poet, composer, performer, teacher, and recording artist
Ustad (Professor) Ghulam Farid Nizami is of the Senia Gharana tradition and is a descendant of Mian Tan Sen, court musician of 16th century Moghal Emperor Akbar the Great. He apprenticed with his father, Ustad Ishaq Nizami beginning at the age of 4 years. After his father’s death, he continued his studies with his elder brother Ustad Mohammad Akhtar Nizami as well as other esteemed Pakistani music maestros in sitar, vocals, tabla and harmonium. He received instruction in the tradition of Sufism from Khawaja Mohammad Moeen Khan Nizami and Haji Faiz Ahmed.
Ustad Nizami created and hosted several educational television shows on Pakistan TV that featured the traditional music of North Pakistan, and has made innumerable radio and television appearances. He has worked extensively with the Folklore Museum at Lok Virsa in Islamabad and performed widely for the Pakistani National Council for the Arts for over 25 years. He has performed for all Pakistani heads of State as well as for a long list of foreign dignitaries, including 3 US presidents, Saudi King Abdullah, Jordani King Hussein, Nelson Mandela, Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana.
In over 30 years of teaching at Pakistani educational and performing arts institutions, including 14 years at the Beacon House School, Nizami has helped to create a new generation of musicians. Among his students are the first professional female tabla and sitar players in Pakistan. In 2008 he came to the United States as a Fulbright Scholar and taught at The University of Texas in Austin from ‘08- ‘09.
Currently Nizami is performing in concerts in Texas and the United States and has just been accepted onto the Texas Commission of the Arts 2011-2012 Touring Artist Roster. TCA provides grants to arts presenters, schools, libraries, theaters and other non-profits throughout Texas to help with the cost of bringing in artists from the Roster. To find out how to apply for a grant to bring Ustad Nizami to your community, contact www.arts.state.tx.us.
Ustad Nizami created and hosted several educational television shows on Pakistan TV that featured the traditional music of North Pakistan, and has made innumerable radio and television appearances. He has worked extensively with the Folklore Museum at Lok Virsa in Islamabad and performed widely for the Pakistani National Council for the Arts for over 25 years. He has performed for all Pakistani heads of State as well as for a long list of foreign dignitaries, including 3 US presidents, Saudi King Abdullah, Jordani King Hussein, Nelson Mandela, Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana.
In over 30 years of teaching at Pakistani educational and performing arts institutions, including 14 years at the Beacon House School, Nizami has helped to create a new generation of musicians. Among his students are the first professional female tabla and sitar players in Pakistan. In 2008 he came to the United States as a Fulbright Scholar and taught at The University of Texas in Austin from ‘08- ‘09.
Currently Nizami is performing in concerts in Texas and the United States and has just been accepted onto the Texas Commission of the Arts 2011-2012 Touring Artist Roster. TCA provides grants to arts presenters, schools, libraries, theaters and other non-profits throughout Texas to help with the cost of bringing in artists from the Roster. To find out how to apply for a grant to bring Ustad Nizami to your community, contact www.arts.state.tx.us.
New CD Release - Flowers of the Heart
Get your copy at a Nizami performance! Listen to the CD and purchase/download at cdbaby and digstation.
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