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It’s been almost a year a half since the band applied to be part of this initiative. It was sometime in June last year that we got selected to be part of the program. It has taken a whole year to work out the details and now we are ready to share them.

The Program:
Sponsored by the US Deptt. of State and designed by the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) in collaboration with Lisa Booth Management (Tour Managers) and Rock Paper Scissors (Media PR), Center Stage is a 6 month long program aiming at Cultural Diplomacy. 10 performing artists from Pakistan, Indonesia and Haiti have been short-listed to be part of this program and apart from performances they will also be engaging in activities like workshops, discussions, artist-to-artist exchanges, and community gatherings.
Click here to read more about the program and artists involved.

noori is opening the tour:
Yes, we have the privilege of being the opening performers (alongside our very own Sufi sensation, Arieb Azhar) for this program. And then, the fact that this will be our very first tour of the US, gets us even more excited. Especially so, because this won’t be the typical Pakistani musical tour - we are working with an internationally recognized company and will be performing for a much more diverse audience than what is usually experienced by Pakistani artists performing in the US.

In fact we are working out a a whole new content for our performances. We have been experimenting for the last few months with writing songs in the English language - a dream come true, especially for Ali Noor who had always been searching for an opportunity to try this out. In doing so, we have totally reworked our sound. We were faced with the challenge to create something that is contemporary western and yet incorporates eastern elements - something that has a Pakistani uniqueness and yet communicates to the typical American/Western music listener. We are in the process of completing a few singles, one of which we intend to release before we leave for the US. Stay tuned for more coming on that front…

Performance line-up:
Ali Noor: Vocals, Guitars
Ali Hamza: Vocals, Bass
Louis Pinto (Gumby): Drums, percussions
Zeeshan Parwez: Synths and Loops
Faraz Anwer: Lead Guitars
Rakae Jami: Sitar

Tour Dates:

06/19/2012, Tue
Washington DC
Millennium Stage @ The Kennedy Center, 2700 F Street
Show: 6:00 pm
Free Admission. With Arieb Azhar. Ph: 800.444.1324

06/22/2012, Fri
Huntington, NY
Huntington Summer Arts Festival, Chapin Rainbow Stage @ Hechscher State Park
Show: 8:30 pm
Ph: 631.271.8423 X 5

06/24/2012, Sun
New Haven, CT
International Festival of Arts & Ideas
Show: 7:00 pm
Free Admission. With Red Baraat. Ph: 888.ART.IDEA (888.278.4332)

06/26/2012, Tue
New Haven, CT
International Festival of Arts & Ideas
Panel discussion “Music of the People: Artists Talk about Music Inspiring Change.” A conversation about music as a tool for radical transformation in today’s changing worlds, both in the U.S. and around the globe. Moderated by Siddartha Mitter, a noted cultural critic, other participants include Red Baraat, Asphalt Orchestra, and sociologist and scholar Sujatha Fernandes. Ph: 888.ART.IDEA (888.278.4332)

06/27/2012, Wed
Ann Arbor, MI
Ann Arbor Summer Festival @ Top of the Park
Show: 8:00 pm
Free Admission. Ph: 734.764.2538

06/28/2012, Thu
Ann Arbor, MI
University of Michigan

Click here for further details…

Also:

Check out this article published in the Washington Post Style Blog highlighting the tour - noori’s Nishaan is the featured video in this post

Check out the noori press release and band portfolio - courtesy Rock Papers Scissors