About

The Tamarind Society aims to showcase the richness and stirring beauty of the folk and classical arts of Pakistan and its surrounding regions in South Asia. The society's repertoire includes the lilting poetry -- and its musical expression -- of Sufi mysticism, imbued as it is with expressions of love and humanity. Vocal and instrumental classical expositions depicting the richness and variety of musical traditions that have evolved over more than a thousand years of uniquely fruitful interaction between Indus Valley traditions and those of Persia, Central Asia and the Middle-East are given renewed voice.

Tamarind celebrates these arts through the enactment of concerts, exhibitions and seminars in the tri-state area. Our performances feature artists renowned for their mastery of such instruments of expression as singing (ghazal, qawwali, classical raag, etc.), flute, sitar, tabla, dhol, harmonium, saarangi, sarod, and other musical instruments. We also organize group-discussions and demonstrations of South Asian performance arts and aim to provide relevant educational resources, thus serving as a focal point for people interested in South Asian performance arts.

Tamarind is run by members of the South Asian community living in the tri-state region. Services provided by the Tamarind Society are not intended for profit. The society is funded mostly through private donations and proceeds collected through the sale of event tickets. In addition, on occasion, the officers of the society apply for funding through state, federal and private grants for special performances.

The Tamarind Society is thus named because tamarind (imli) is a fruit that is native to South Asia and denotes tangy conviviality and merriment. Tamarind derives its name from tamar-hindi -- literally 'the fruit of India' in Arabic -- whereas India itself gets its name from Pakistan's River Indus -- the name of the fruit thus encapsulating the origins and flavors of the region’s wonderful culture and traditions.