KARIM GILLANI

He is currently pursuing an interdisciplinary PhD in Music and Religious studies at the University of Alberta (Canada), under the guidance of Prof. Regula Qureshi & Prof. Earle Waugh, exploring the Ethnomusicological dimension of the Ismaili Ginans. After graduating in 2003 from the Institute of Ismaili Studies' Graduate Program in Islamic Studies and Humanities, he pursued his interest in Sufi and Ginanic music, and obtained an MA in Music and Religious Studies from the University of Alberta in 2005.

Karim regularly presents papers at national and International conferences (on the topics of Ethnomusicology, contemporary religious issues, Sufism, Islam, and South Asian literature) and has published articles in academic journals. He has done extensive field research in devotional and contemporary popular music both in Indian subcontinent as well as in western Diaspora. To see some of Karim's field research photography please click here.

Karim has been singing and composing songs since childhood however, for the last five years he has been undertaking voice lessons in Indian Classical music at the University of Alberta. He performs various genres of Eastern music including Kafi, Qawwali, Ghazals, Nashid, and Indo-Pakistani Cinema songs. Some of Karim’s performance highlights include spots on CBC Television, CJSR and CKUA Radios, as well as Pakistan Radios, University of Alberta, Sufi Music Ensemble, and at various programs for the Ismaili Council of Edmonton.

Before beginning his studies at the Institute of Ismaili Studies, Karim completed an MBA from Hamdard University (Pakistan) and had worked with the Jang Group of Newspapers (Pakistan).