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Band Biography

The band is named Khiyo after a letter of the Bengali alphabet. It is a unique letter that, whilst being a combination of two letters, has an identity of its own. Similarly, though the band members have backgrounds that include Western classical, rock, jazz, blues, Nazrul Sangeet, Bengali folk and Indian classical, the amalgamation of the whole has a singularly identifiable sound.

Khiyo's new album Bondona is out now!


olly
Oliver Weeks
Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Piano

Oliver Weeks read music at Clare College, Cambridge, studying composition with Robin Holloway, and subsequently obtained a Ph.D in composition from the Royal Academy of Music. His works have been performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the BBC Singers and the Mercury Quartet, amongst others. His interest in South Asian music has led to the forming of Khiyo, British Council-funded tours of India and Bangladesh with Parapar (a collaboration with Moushumi Bhowmik) and music for the Mumbai and Kolkata theatres.

sohini
Sohini Alam
Vocals


Sohini Alam is a British vocalist of Bangladeshi descent whose musical repertoire includes folk, patriotic, modern and traditional Bengali songs with a specialisation in Nazrul Sangeet. She has branched out into multi-lingual music in bands, for dance, and for theatre. A third generation vocalist, Sohini trained in music with her mother, Hiron Alam and her aunts, Jannat Ara and Ferdous Ara. Sohini is the lead vocalist for Khiyo and for Kishon Khan's Afro-Cuban-Bengali jazz band, Lokkhi Terra. She is a founding member of Komola Collective.

ben
Ben Heartland
Upright & Electric Bass


Ben Heartland is an upright and electric bassist whose musical repertoire spans western classical, jazz, rock, blues, folk and funk. This has seen him perform across the UK, Europe and Australia with acts including The James Taylor Quartet and the Dennis Greaves Band; and in India and Bangladesh with Moushumi Bhowmik's Parapar, the project which gave him his first taste of Bengali music. Ben has been active in music education, teaching in schools as well as arranging and recording bass parts for Trinity College London's Rock & Pop exam series. He also writes music for theatre, video and radio

Guest Artists

David Ingamells
(Drums)

Hassan Mohyeddin
(Tabla)

Flora Curzon / Richard Jones (Violin / Viola)