Khyam Allami

Event information

Edinburgh University Middle Eastern Society and Powan Presents are proud to bring world renowned 'Ud player Khyam Allami to Edinburgh this March! Khyam will be performing on the night with percussionist Vasilis Sarikis.

KHYAM ALLAMI
http://www.khyamallami.com/

Since taking up the ‘ūd (or Oud, Middle Eastern Lute) in 2004, he has already generated a “palpable buzz” about him and “left a trail of unforgettable live performances in his wake” according to the UK’s fRoots Magazine who recently put him on their cover.

Whether at small independent venues, Birmingham’s alternative/experimental Supersonic festival, WOMAD or the BBC Proms in London’s Royal Albert Hall, Khyam is yet to falter in making his audience revel in the lucid beauty of his music.

Born in Damascus, Syria to Iraqi parents in 1981, Khyam took up the violin at the tender age of 8 when he played the role of a young violinist in the art-house film Al-Tahaleb directed by Rimon Butrus (1991).

After his family moved to London in 1990, he soon dropped the violin and in 1996 began to play Drums and Bass Guitar. He co-founded the independent rock groups Ursa and Art of Burning Water and slowly garnered a reputation as one of London’s most passionate and hard-hitting drummers.

Yet something was still missing. In 2004 his path took yet another turn and he began to study the ‘ūd, Arabic music theory and traditional Iraqi repertoire with the London based Iraqi ‘ūd maestro Ehsan Emam. Quite the de-tour.

In the following years he dedicated tirelessly to music and travelled across the Middle East to study with ‘ūd maestros Naseer Shamma and Hazem Shaheen in Cairo, Egypt and Mehmet Bitmez in Istanbul, Turkey. In the process he received various grants, awards and scholarships and completed two degrees in Music (BA, MMus) at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

In 2010 his dedication and hard work was recognised nationally when he became the first recipient of the prestigious World Routes Academy scholarship from BBC Radio 3.

"[Khyam Allami] epitomises the best of the new generation of oud players whose roots lie in the Eastern tradition but who also judiciously draw on a wider range of contemporary influences... his compositions are utterly bewitching... Allami’s first album nails it to perfection."
5/5 - Songlines - Top of the World

“From its deep and very deliberately plucked opening notes to the final extended fade on Reverie, this is not only a vibrant and engaging piece of music, but a work of surprising maturity.”
fRoots Magazine

"With its constant changes of mood and direction, Khyam Allami's debut album is a firm reminder of the oud's potential."
3/5 - The Guardian