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Sonny Mehta or Riyaaz Qawwali

Music composer, Light vocalist, Qawwali singer

Sonny Mehta or Riyaaz Qawwali
   Biography
Sonny  Mehta is the lead vocalist, composer and arranger for Riyaaz Qawwali, with training in classical music (Hindustani Shastriya Sangeet) under Pt. Suman Ghosh, Pt. Ravi Kant, Mrs. Anita Slawek, Mr. Dilawar Singh and Sri Chandrakantha Courtney. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Jagjit Singh and his grandfather have been Sonny’s greatest musical influences. 

Riyaaz Qawwali formed in the winter of 2006 under the leadership of Sonny Mehta. Soon after, the group decided to venture out from their usual repertoire of more classical compositions to attempt performing qawwali. Besides Qawwali, Sonny enjoys dabbling in photography and poetry.

Qawwali is an amazing genre of music, with lively rhythmic cycles, gripping melodies and a unique approach to adding improvisational poetry. Hence, it is no wonder that since that winter, this genre has gripped the attention of each musician that has joined the group. It is the party’s goal to re-familiarize audiences in the United States with this unique musical style.


More than 700 years since Amir Khusro composed the famous qaul ‘Man Kunto Maula’, Riyaaz Qawwali envisions modernizing the genre for today's audience, while staying true to the ethos of qawwali. In this regard Riyaaz idolizes Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan who took semi-classical qawwali to new heights of popularity in both the Hindustani Shastriya Sangeet as well as the World Music circles through the 1980s and the 1990s. 

Riyaaz Qawwali hopes to take this niche tradition of Sufiana Kalaam and expand its reaches by introducing newer poets to traditional compositions and modernizing the sound while keeping authentic elements, all in efforts to reach new audiences.

The songs which constitute the qawwali repertoire are mostly in Urdu and Punjabi (almost equally divided between the two), although there are several songs in Brajbhasha and Persian. The poetry is implicitly understood to be spiritual in its meaning and the central themes are love, devotion and longing (for the Divine).

Besides Qawwali, Sonny enjoys dabbling in photography and poetry.

You tube links: 

Tere Ishq Nachaya - Riyaaz Qawwali: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqx9MQlYbjs

Man Kunto Maula - Riyaaz Qawwali: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LR9rcnZ918

Chaap Tilak - Riyaaz Qawwali : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qZZ3hCEq7U
   Videos Show all videos
   Photos Show all photos
Sonny Mehta
Sonny Mehta
Sonny Mehta performing in program.
Sonny Mehta performing in program.
Sonny Mehta performing in Riyaaz Qawwali's program - Ishq-e-Haqiqi.
Sonny Mehta performing in Riyaaz Qawwali's program - Ishq-e-Haqiqi.
   Career
Sonny  Mehta is the lead vocalist, composer and arranger for the party Riyaaz Qawwali. Riyaaz Qawwali has given a lot of performances. Their list of performances is as below :

In 2013 :

Jan 5 Private Event Houston, TX.
May 17 Shifa Women Center Fundraising Gala Houston, TX [ DoubleTree Downtown Hotel ].
Jun 15 Riyaaz Qawwali's CD Release Party  Houston, TX [ Asia Society Texas Center ].
Jul 3 Private Event Houston, TX.
Jul 6 Private Event Houston, TX.
Jul 13 Hindu Youth Awards 2013 Houston, TX [ VPSS Temple ].
Jul 14 Sunday Dewan - Shabad Kirtan Houston, TX [ Gurdwara Sahib of SW Houston ].
Aug 10 Private Event Austin, TX.
Aug 18 IMAGH's Eid Milan Houston, TX.
Sep 14 International Accordion Festival San Antonio, TX.
Oct 24 Garrison Institute's In The Spirit New York City, NY [ The Town Hall ].
Oct 26 Concert hosted by The Tamarind Society Monroe, NJ.
Nov 9 Private Event Houston, TX.
Nov 23 IAA's Ishq-e-Haqiqi Stafford, TX [ Stafford Center ].

In 2012 :
Jan 1 Private Event Houston, TX.
Jan 28 PCC's Lohri Celebration Houston, TX.
Mar 17 South By South West Austin, TX [ 6th Street ].
Apr 13 Private Event Houston, TX.
Apr 14 Asia Society's 'First Look Festival' Houston, TX [ Asia Society Texas Center ].
Apr 15 Asia Society's 'First Look Festival' Houston, TX [ Asia Society Texas Center ].
Apr 27 PSA's Basant : A Journey through Pakistan Austin, TX [ University of Texas at Austin ].
May 12 Private Event Austin, TX.
Jun 16 Private Event Panama City, Republic of Panama.
Aug 25 Asia Society's 'The Full Circle Tour' Houston, TX [ Asia Society Texas Center ].
Sep 12 Locating the Sacred Festival 2012  New York City, NY [ Church of the Ascension ].
Oct 6 ASA's 'Yom-e-Shah Wilayat Day' Houston, TX.
Oct 20 PSA Qawwali Night! Ithaca, NY [ Cornell University ].
Nov 2 HSNT's 'Shaam-e-Hyderabad 2012' Garland, TX  [ Curtis Culwell Center ].
Nov 3 Private Event Houston, TX.
Nov 9 Private Event The Woodlands, TX.

In 2011 :
Jan 1 Private Event Austin, TX.
Jan 22 Private Event Friendswood, TX.
Feb 19 Private Event Seabrook, TX.
Feb 26 HSNT's 'Shaam-e-Hyderabad 2011' Garland, TX.
Mar 4 HCAH's 'Sham-e-Hyderabad' Houston, TX.
Apr 2 Menil Community Arts Festival  Houston, TX [ Rothko Chapel ].
Apr 29 PSA's Basant 2011: Springs of Time Austin, TX [ University of Texas at Austin ].
May 8 Houston International Festival Houston, TX.
Jun 24 Private Event Houston, TX.
Sep 3 Private Event Houston, TX.
Sep 17 ICC's Eid Milan Houston, TX [ India House ].
Oct 9 International Accordion Festival San Antonio, TX.
Dec 23 Private Event Austin, TX.
Dec 24 Private Event Houston, TX.

2010  
Jan 18 Private Event Houston, TX.
Feb 6 HSA Retreat Mexia, TX [ Fort Parker State Park ].
Apr 3 PSA SHOW 2010 Houston, TX [ University of Houston ].
Apr 17 Qawwali & Cultural Night 2010 Ithaca, NY [ Cornell University ].
Apr 24 PAGA's 'A Tribute to NFAK' Austin, TX [  Reagan High School ].
Apr 30 PSA's Basant Bahaar Austin, TX [ University of Texas at Austin ].
May 1 Milan - Indian Classical Arts Show Austin, TX [  University of Texas at Austin ].
May 28 Private Event Miami, FL.
May 30 Private Event Houston, TX.
Jun 25 Private Event Houston, TX.
Jul 4 Private Event Houston, TX.
Oct 23 Houston Women for Children Houston, TX.
   Programs

Shahbaaz Qalandar, or Duma Dum Must Qalandar by Riyaaz Qawwali

The Riyaaz Experiment Producing small 2-3 minute songs with the purpose of squeezing out the essence of qawwali. To modernize the qawwali genre and make it accessible to today's listener, we are presenting a series of traditional compositions that are usually 15 minutes long, in a condensed version.

Riyaaz Qawwali

Qawwali is an amazing genre of music, with lively rhythmic cycles, gripping melodies and a unique approach to adding improvisational poetry. Hence, it is no wonder that since that winter, this genre has gripped the attention of each musician that has joined the group. It is the party’s goal to re-familiarize audiences in the United States with this unique musical style.
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