A large number of young individuals and school choirs showcased their creative talents at the Sounds of Light 2017 held in all major cities of Australia from 23 to 27 November.
The internationally-recognised Sounds of Light Charity Concert (SoL) is a mega-event on the calendar of the Australian Muslim community with destinations nationwide in order to bring Muslim communities together for an evening of delightful entertainment and benefit orphans and disadvantaged children overseas.
This year SoL concerts were held in Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane where crowd favourite Maher Zain from Sweden returned to Australia along with comedian Preacher Moss from the US, sensational young talent Harris J from UK and the distinguished singer Adel Elmshiti from Libya.
Imam Suhaib Webb from the US was the guest speaker while Dr Omer Turkmen from Turkey performed Quran recitation at various city venues all over Australia.
For the first time, a comprehensive Sounds of Light 2017 Talent Quest competitions were organised well in advance to seek out Young Australian Muslims where the winners from five states of Australia performed on stage at SoL 2017 in state capitals.
The Sounds of Light 2017 Talent Quest is an initiative of the newly established division Human Appeal Australia Community Care (HAACC) as part of its youth development program. HAACC uses the performing and creative arts to give young people the platform to realise their potential and contribute to a sense of identity, self worth and belonging, helping to motivate and prepare them to contribute towards positive social change.
There’s an incredible sense of community at every Sounds of Light Concert, the single largest charity event of the year organised by Human Appeal and held in five states across Australia.
The Sounds of Light Concerts have been running for 10 years, reaching an excess of over 56,000 audience members. As a result of the behind-the-scenes efforts of the Human Appeal staff and volunteers, together with the generosity of the community, the contributions of the sponsors and the performances of our talented artists, by the will of Allah Subhanahu Wa Teala, 8000 orphans have been sponsored across the globe.
The Melbourne event began with a moving Quran recitation by Dr Omer Turkmen followed by the Australian National Anthem beautifully performed by students from Islamic College of Melbourne, Tarneit Campus.
Up and coming performer Siedd’s incredible performance and vocals captured the audience’s attention and admiration. It’s no wonder Siedd very quickly shot to stardom.
Adel Elmshiti’s performance was equally remarkable and was met with great applause from the audience.
The Sounds of Light Talent Quest program allows young people from the Muslim community to showcase their skill and talent in singing, poetry or other Islamic performances. This year’s winner in Melbourne was Esma Sure Yoldas who performed her very moving poem titled Rohingya Child and captured the hearts of the audience.
Sydney photos by Radim Cechvala. Melbourne photos courtesy of Human Appeal International – Australia
