Pakistan’s only player of the Saagar Veena, Noor Zehra, rouses the audience to a standing ovation with her breath-taking performance. Saagar means ocean and Veena means sound, allowing the instrument to be an “ocean of sound”.

About the performer:

Noor Zehra is the daughter of Raza Kazim, the founder of the esteemed Sanjan Nagar Institute of Arts and Philosophy. Zehra has aided her father in furthering the development of the stringed instrument sagar veena and is currently Pakistan’s sole sagar veena player. Her formal musical training began during 1971 with Rajeshwari Datta in London, England and later at the Ali Akbar Khan College for Music in Berkely, USA. She has performed with her sagar veena at music festivals from Japan to Norway.