Shumaila Hemani and the Sufi Ensemble

“Staying rooted within traditional forms and honouring that while also bringing in experimentation, Hemani sings Sufi epics in South Asian Sufi tradition compellingly,” (New Works Calgary). Shumaila Hemani, Ph.D. is an Alberta-based singer-songwriter, acousmatic composer and community-engaged artist sculpting with the environment’s sounds and addressing the world’s climate crisis. Hemani’s debut album, Mannat (a prayer, a Wish), is an awakening about climate emergency and the need for action. Based on Sufi poetry from South Asia and sound recordings of heavy rainfall, floods, and other environmental sounds, Mannat is an immersive experience of deep listening to soundscapes of climate change. It was applauded as “powerful” in evoking a spirit of perseverance in supporting victims of climate disaster in Pakistan and featured in the National Observer, CBC’s What on Earth, Edmonton Journal, and Calgary Herald. Hemani won the Cultural Diversity Award and Women in Music Honors in Emerging Voices (2023) and is currently serving as an Artist in Residence working on climate justice in Alberta.