KARACHI: London-based Pakistan-born Sufi opera singer Saira Peter cast a musical spell with her performance at the National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) on Friday.

Saira is the founder of a new musical genre Sufi opera, a fusion of Western and Pakistani classical styles.

On Friday, she presented some of the most mesmerising singing at the Zia Mohyeddin Theatre to a packed-to-capacity auditorium.

The evening kicked off with Napa graduate Zeeshan Zafar performing on piano. Then a documentary on Saira Peter was presented.

She began the evening with a Sufi Opera piece called ‘Tears of Marvi’, followed by English, Italian, French and German opera pieces.

She then moved on to some Pakistani songs and ghazals including ‘Chand Diya Totia’, ‘Baray Baemurawwat Hain’, ‘Sanso ki Mala’, ‘Anta Umri’ (an Arabic song sung originally by legendary Egyptian singer Umme Kulsoom), ‘Mun Nishan-e Karwan’ (in Persian), ‘Sayuni Mera Mahi’, ‘Mujh se Pehli si Muhabbat’, ‘Chahat main kia Dunyadari’, ‘Abhi to main Jawan hoon’ and ‘Mera Humnafas Mere Humnawa’, besides a few others.

The audience loved her Sufi Opera work and praised her for her unmatched artistry.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2026