A Night of Sacred Music for Eid

An exclusive free concert featuring the world-renowned Pakistan-based master Qawwali musicians, brothers Fareed Ayaz and Abu Mohammed. 

Join us for an evening of sacred Sufi music with the masters of the form, Qawwal – Fareed Ayaz, Abu Muhammed Qawwal and musicians. 

Weaving together hypnotic vocals rich in poetic and mystical symbolism, backed by harmonium, tabla, dholak and handclapping, the brothers and their ensemble seek to transport audiences closer to the divine.    

Travelling from Pakistan for this exclusive concert in celebration of Eid, the Qawwal will be joined by Melbourne based Tarab Ensemble, a group dedicated to instrumental classical Arabic music.    

Bring a picnic blanket or folding chair, and rally your friends to come down to Fed Square to enjoy this special night of sacred music under the stars. ​  

The evening of music will also include food and craft. 

A Night of Sacred Music for Eid is presented by SalamFest and Fed Square with City of Melbourne. 

About the artists: 

Qawwal   

Pakistani musicians Fareed Ayaz, Abu Muhammad and ensemble are among the world’s finest exponents of Qawwali – a hypnotic, vocal-driven Sufi devotional music rich in poetic and mystical symbolism. Their group is led by powerful vocalists who loop through multiple verse-chorus sequences.​  

Fareed Ayaz leads the group with his brother Abu Muhammad, while three generations of family members form the rest of the musical ensemble. Fareed and Abu were taught by their father, the esteemed Ustad Munshi Raziuddin, who hails from the Qawwal Bachchon Ka gharana, a tradition founded by Amir Khusrow students in 14th-century Delhi.​  

The group tour and perform to vast crowds all around the world, produce film music, make special appearances in international events, such as the BBC Proms at Royal Albert Hall in 2017, and were awarded the Pride of Performance Award by the President of Pakistan in 2020. ​  

Tarab Ensemble 

Tarab Ensemble is Australia’s largest group dedicated to instrumental classical Arabic music. ‘Tarab’ is an Arabic word that, while difficult to translate, encapsulates the pleasure and joy one gets from great, often classical Arab music.  

Since its founding in 2019, Tarab Ensemble has evolved to be Australia’s leading and largest music group that is totally dedicated to instrumental classical Arabic music, but with a twist.  

Green My Plate

Thanks to the closed loop system from Green My Plate, we are proud to say A Night of Sacred Music for Eid will be a low waste event. All food vendors will be serving up their delicious food on the reusable Green My Plate plates and bowls which you then simply place into the pink bins within the venue. The team from Green My Plate will be continuously collecting the reusable plates and co to then wash and recirculate, leaving a cleaner footprint, and diverting single-use food packaging from landfill.

The process is simple. Simply head to your choice of food vendor, order up, then place your reusable plate in the pink bin.

The plates will be reused over and over at events across Victoria. We encourage and thank everyone for doing their part and assisting us with making dishes, not waste.

Discover more about Qawwali