Khyam Allami - خيام اللامي

Live on Resonance FM this Wednesday 9th June

Dear friends,

This Wednesday evening between 6pm-7pm I’ll be appearing live on the Cultural Co-Operation’s London Diaspora Live programme on Resonance FM in London. You can tune in on the good old fashioned radio at 104.4 fm or listen online at http://resonancefm.com

I’ll be appearing alongside Rita Ray one of the directors and founders of the Celebrating Sanctuary Festival. We’ll be playing music by some of the artists appearing at Celebrating Sanctuary this year, some Iraqi music and I will perform a couple of tracks live. Hope you can tune in!

Blog on BBC Radio 3 website

Just a quick note to let you know that I have been publishing a blog about my activities in and around the World Routes Academy on the BBC R3 website. The latest blog about our trip in Beirut was published today. If you are interested in reading any of them please follow this link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/radio3/khyam_allami/

Thank you!

Celebrating Sanctuary Festival

Dear Friends,

Thanks to the World Routes Academy scholarship I was selected for this year, I was asked by BBC Radio 3 to curate an afternoon of events dedicated to Iraqi culture, at this year’s Celebrating Sanctuary Festival in London. It will happen on Sunday 13th June along the South Bank.

After the hard work of many hands, we have put together a wonderful programme which includes, music, theater, poetry and much more… The afternoon will be hosted by Lucy Duran, presenter of BBC R3′s World Routes.

You can find the schedule and all the information on the facebook event here:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=125796204102745

Please spread the word and see you there!!

Royal Albert Hall, BBC Prom 33: Ilham Al-Madfai and Khyam Allami

Dear friends,

9th August 2010
Ilham Al Madfai and Khyam Allami
Prom 33: BBC Radio 3 World Routes Academy
Royal Albert Hall, London, UK

http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/2010/whatson/0908.shtml#prom33

Really don’t know what else to say!! Hope you will be able to join us!
Khyam

World Routes Academy – Iraq at Celebrating Sanctuary Festival

In 2010 BBC Radio 3 launched a new scheme which aims to support and inspire young world-music artists by bringing them together with an internationally renowned figure with whom they share common cultural roots. In the first year of the BBC Radio 3 World Routes Academy, named after its flagship programme, the focus is on two Iraqi musicians: the young, London based musician Khyam Allami is the first recipient of this scholarship and he will work with the celebrated Ilham al-Madfai, the guitarist, singer and composer who will take on the role of mentor.

Radio 3′s World Routes (Saturdays, 3.00pm) follows the partnership over the nine-month scheme with regular interviews, documentary material, recordings and performances. Radio 3 World Routes Academy is about celebrating world music talent by both supporting existing performers through new collaborations and enabling younger musicians to develop and hone their skills. Performance is key to the project and the musicians will feature in BBC studio sessions, workshops, performance and concerts.

As part of this new scheme, Khyam Allami was invited by Radio 3 to curate an afternoon dedicated to Iraqi culture at Celebrating Sanctuary Festival, London’s annual free festival that celebrates the art of refugee communities. The event will take place on London’s South Bank on Sunday June 13th and will consist of live music, spoken word, theatre, workshops and discussions.

Contributors will include Radio 3′s World Routes Academy presenter Lucy Duran as well as musicians, writers, playwrights and editor of Banipal, the London based independent literary magazine publishing contemporary authors and poets from all over the Arab world in English translation.

For more information please visit the following websites:

BBC Radio 3′s World Routes Academy
Celebrating Sanctuary
Banipal

BBC R3 World Routes Iraqi music special + Workshop and Concert with Andrea Piccioini

Dear friends,

It has been a seriously hectic few weeks but not without any fruit! Yesterday I recorded a 1 hour episode of World Routes for BBC Radio 3 dedicated to Iraqi music (photo below). It will be broadcast on Saturday 27th March at 3pm. Tune in: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006tnmp

Khyam being interviewed by Lucy Duran

That very same weekend, my dear friend and percussion maestro Andrea Piccioni will be flying over from Rome to give a workshop and join me for a performance at the Green Note in Camden Town, London. All the information is on the performances page and you can buy advanced tickets here: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/74839

If you’d like to partake in Andrea’s frame drum workshop, you can find all the information here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=371847637386&ref=mf

Hope to see you at the show!

BBC Arabic World Service and Iraqi Woman’s League/International Women’s Day event

Dear Friends,

My ‘Ud teacher Ehsan Emam and I will be appearing on the BBC Arabic World Service programme Xtra hosted by Liliane Daoud and Lou’ai Ismail on Thursday 4th March 10-11am GMT. You can listen online by clicking here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/arabic/programmes/bbc_extra/

Following that on Saturday 6th March, I will be accompanying a my close friends Nicoletta Demetriou, Maria Rijo, Shahrzad Alonso Djavdan and Elizabeth Nott in performing a selection of Cypriot Greek, Persian and Iraqi songs for an Iraqi Woman’s League event celebrating International Women’s Day. Please go to the performances page for more info.

Hope to see some of you there!

BBC World Routes Academy Blog

Dear friends,

Just a quick note to let you know that my new blog on the BBC Radio 3 website has launched and will be home to my musings on all that surrounds the World Routes Academy mentorship/scholarship which I was recently awarded. Click here or on the link on the right to read the first introductory blog.

There is much being planned for the next few months and beyond so be sure to check back regularly for updates, or sign up to the mailing list and I’ll keep you updated!

Best,
Khyam

Arabian Nights adapted by Dominic Cooke – Royal Shakespeare Company

Dear Friends,

Preview performances have now begun of the new Royal Shakespeare Company production of Arabian Nights. I am performing the ‘Ud with a small group of musicians accompanying the play, the music for which was composed by Gary Yershon.

Performances will continue throughout December until the end of January. If you would like to come and join us in Stratford-Upon-Avon please check the following website for performance dates and information: http://www.rscarabiannights.com/.

See you soon!

Khyam Allami + Ilham al-Madfai + BBC Radio 3 = ???

Dear Friends,

Following the announcment by BBC Radio 3 at WOMEX last Friday (30th Oct), I can let you all know that I have been chosen as the first recipient of a BBC Radio 3 mentorship/scholarship titled “World Routes Academy”, which revolves around the programme World Routes hosted by Lucy Duran and will see me working with the internationally renowned Iraqi singer Ilham al-Madfai.

This will involve traveling to Amman to work with Ilham al-Madfai and his musicians, recording some music for the BBC and performing at some UK festivals this summer. All of which will be closely followed and documented by World Routes and broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

For more information, please visit the following sections of the BBC website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2009/10_october/30/radio3.shtml

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/worldmusic/worldroutesacademy/

Needless to say, I’m very excited at this great opportunity and would like to thank all those involved at the BBC for asking me to be a part of it. More information will be posted here once I have it, but please join the mailing list if you want to be kept up to date.

Thank you!