Editor’s Note: I am deeply grateful to Ashley Orich of the University of Alberta Botanic Garden and Christy Dean, the designated photographer for the event, for allowing me to publish their pictures in this post. I would like to thank Carl Charest, the Director of the Botanic Garden, for inviting me to the event. His warmth and the staff’s kindness and courtesies in receiving me touched me.
Sufi Concert in the Amphitheatre, with the Talar Building in the background, Aga Khan Garden, University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Canada, September 13, 2024. Photograph: Christy Dean.
Spontaneous decisions about day trips I want to make on the same day generate excitement the moment I ignite my car. Days ahead, an invitation from the University of Alberta Botanic Garden to attend a Sufi Concert at the Aga Khan Garden, a beautiful part of the Botanic Garden known for its stunning architecture and serene atmosphere, on Friday, September 13, 2024, at 8:30 p.m. raised my interest instantaneously. But I would not be satisfied just by attending the Concert. I had to be there hours ahead to take photos of the Garden, meet with people and ask them why they were in the Garden. The welcome I received from the University of Alberta Botanic Garden staff was warm and heartening, and this kindness set my mood for the rest of the afternoon.
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Pumpkins decorate the entrance for the forthcoming festive season, Aga Khan Garden, University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Canada, September 13, 2024. Photograph: Malik Merchant/Simerg Photos.
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Islamudiin Dhaulatyar and his family walk through the Aga Khan Garden before the Sufi Concert in the Garden’s Amphitheatre, University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Canada, September 13, 2024. Photograph: Photograph: Malik Merchant/Simerg Photos.
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Visitors stroll through the beautiful Aga Khan Garden blooming with flowers before the Sufi Concert in the Garden’s Amphitheatre, University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Canada, September 13, 2024. Photograph: Ashley Orich.
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Visitors admire Sufi-themed paintings before the Sufi Concert, Aga Khan Garden, University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Canada, September 13, 2024. Photograph: Malik Merchant/Simerg Photos.
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The performing team is pictured in front of the Talar Building before their Sufi Concert, Aga Khan Garden Amphitheatre, University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Canada, September 13, 2024. Photograph: Christy Dean.
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An Indigenous woman plays her flute at the Aga Khan Garden’s Talar Building before her highly symbolic and beautiful performance to commence the Sufi Concert event, Aga Khan Garden, University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Canada, September 13, 2024. Photograph: Ashley Orich.
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A photograph taken at the Talar Building before the dancer’s performance of a highly appreciated twirling dance at the Sufi Concert, Aga Khan Garden, University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Canada, September 13, 2024. Photograph: Christy Dean.
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Abadi Jehne Mosrse, a long-time friend of the University of Alberta Botanic Garden, walks through the Aga Khan Garden before the Sufi Concert in the Amphitheatre, Aga Khan Garden, University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Canada, September 13, 2024. Photograph: Malik Merchant/Simerg Photos.
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Edmonton’s Karim Harji and son at Sufi Concert, Aga Khan Garden, University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Canada, September 13, 2024. Photograph: Malik Merchant/Simerg Photos.
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Edmonton resident Najma with family members at the Sufi Concert, Aga Khan Garden, University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Canada, September 13, 2024. Photograph: Malik Merchant/Simerg Photos.
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L to R: Shaffina Mohamed and Ashifa Jiwa of the Aga Khan Council for Edmonton, and Fabienne Mamane Virani and Ashley Orich of the University of Alberta Botanic Garden, at the Sufi Concert, Aga Khan Garden, University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Canada, September 13, 2024. Photograph: Malik Merchant/Simerg Photos.
Almost everyone I met during my walk-around on a glorious afternoon was there for the same reason — to attend the Concert. A long-time friend of the Botanic Garden, Ms. Abadi Morse, was so impressed with the last Sufi Concert that she had to be here again. When I communicated with her after the Concert, she told me she had thoroughly enjoyed this one, too, in which Shabnam Merali was the lead singer. Her review of the Concert will follow once she returns from a holiday trip.
What a setting! I didn’t expect chairs to be set up, as the Aga Khan Garden Amphitheatre allows plenty of sitting. Generally, at such events, elsewhere, one brings cushions for comfort. For comparison, I include a photo of the amphitheatre I took in late August when I visited the Garden with my friend Iqbal Motani.
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The Amphitheatre on a typical day, Aga Khan Garden, University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Canada, August 18, 2024. Photograph: Iqbal Motani/Malik Merchant/Simerg Photos.
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Total transformation. A view of the Amphitheatre with chairs for the audience for the Sufi Concert, Aga Khan Garden, University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Canada, September 13, 2024. Photograph: Malik Merchant/Simerg Photos.
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Crowds begin to fill up the Amphitheatre before the start of the Sufi Concert, Aga Khan Garden, University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Canada, September 13, 2024. Photograph: Ashley Orich.
The lighting was fantastic, the stage was beautifully set, and the acoustics were superb. A beautiful message, prayer, and flute performance by an Indigenous lady in a vibrant dress set the stage for the Concert’s commencement. Opening remarks by the University of Alberta President, Mike Flanagan, and the dynamic Director of the Botanic Garden, Carl Charest, were insightful and informative. The joint emcees, Shaffina Mohamed and Fabienne Mamane Virani, provided good introductions to the performers.
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Bill Flanagan, President of the University of Alberta, giving his remarks at the Sufi Concert, Aga Khan Garden, University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Canada, September 13, 2024. Photograph: Christy Dean.
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Carl Charest, Director of the University of Alberta Botanic Garden, gives his remarks at the Sufi Concert, Aga Khan Garden, Edmonton, Canada, September 13, 2024. Photograph: Christy Dean.
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Shabnam Merali and band perform at Sufi Concert, Aga Khan Garden Amphitheatre, University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Canada, September 13, 2024. Photograph: Christy Dean.
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A view of the crowd at the Sufi Concert, Aga Khan Garden Amphitheatre, University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Canada, September 13, 2024. Photograph: Christy Dean.
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Performers, Sufi Concert, Aga Khan Garden Amphitheatre, University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Canada, September 13, 2024. Photograph: Christy Dean.
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VIDEO: SHABNAM MERALI PERFORMING ALI, ALI, ALI
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The melodious and powerful voice of Shabnam then inspired the entirely sold-out Concert. She began with the recitation of LA ILAHA ILLALLAH MUHAMMADUR RASULULLAH, which I am sure would be heard all across the grounds of the Garden. The accompanying instrumentalists and singers were equally impressive. The performance captivated the audience, with many swaying to the music. At the left of the concert stage, a painter captured the performance in real time. The completed oil painting was given away to a raffle lottery winner. As the show ended, a dancer came on the floor and mesmerized the crowd with several minutes of twirl dance. The President of the Aga Khan Council for Edmonton, Nilam Jetha, ended the event with a vote of thanks.
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An artist works in real-time during the Sufi Concert, Aga Khan Garden Amphitheatre, University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Canada, September 13, 2024. His completed oil painting was won in a raffle ticket drawn after the concert. Photograph: Christy Dean.
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Nilam Jetha, the President of the Aga Khan Council for Edmonton, gives concluding remarks and a vote of thanks upon the completion of the Sufi Concert, Aga Khan Garden Amphitheatre, University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Canada, September 13, 2024. Photograph: Ashley Orich.
As I walked back past the Garden, the lights on the Talar Building and the dark sky above amazed me. I was filled with a sense of peace and contentment. I took a deep breath, sat down, and had hot chai and samosas that I had just been given by volunteers of the Aga Khan Ismaili Council. I left deeply inspired after a beautiful day at the Aga Khan Garden.
A spectacular view of the Talar Building following the Sufi Concert, Aga Khan Garden, University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Canada, September 13, 2024. Photograph: Ashley Orich.
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The Aga Khan Garden’s majestic Talar Building on the night of the Sufi Concert in the Garden’s Amphitheatre, University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Canada, September 13, 2024. Photograph: Christy Dean.
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Another view of the iconic Talar Buiding taken late at night after the Sufi Concert, Aga Khan Garden, University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Canada, September 13, 2024. Photograph: Ashley Orich.
Date posted: September 27, 2024.
Correction: In an earlier version of this post, Ashley Orich’s last name was misspelled as Urich in the photographs credited to her. We apologize for the mistake.
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