Khyam Allami
Iraq - Germany
Musician
Music
Khyam Allami is an Iraqi-British multi-instrumentalist musician, composer, researcher, and founder of Nawa Recordings. Primarily an Oud player, his artistic research focuses on the development of contemporary and experimental practice based on the fundamentals of Arabic music, with a focus on tuning and microtonality. His remarkably assured 2011 debut solo album Resonance/Dissonance was widely praised and led him to high-profile performances across Europe and the Arab world including the BBC Proms (UK), WOMAD (UK), Supersonic (UK), CTM (Denmark), Incubate (the Netherlands), and Irtijal (Lebanon). He has since composed works for film, theatre and dance including the award-winning As I Open My Eyes by Leyla Bouzid (2016), All This Victory by Ahmad Ghossein (2019) and A Universe not Made for Us (2019), a collaboration with contemporary Flamenco dancer and choreographer, Yalda Younes. Khyam is currently completing an M4C/AHRC-funded Ph.D. in composition at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. This research degree will allow him to explore the application of contemporary acoustic, electro-acoustic, and electronic compositional techniques and processes to Arabic music through the use of technology and various instrumentation.

Khyam Allami
Iraq - Germany
Musician
Music
Khyam Allami is an Iraqi-British multi-instrumentalist musician, composer, researcher, and founder of Nawa Recordings. Primarily an Oud player, his artistic research focuses on the development of contemporary and experimental practice based on the fundamentals of Arabic music, with a focus on tuning and microtonality. His remarkably assured 2011 debut solo album Resonance/Dissonance was widely praised and led him to high-profile performances across Europe and the Arab world including the BBC Proms (UK), WOMAD (UK), Supersonic (UK), CTM (Denmark), Incubate (the Netherlands), and Irtijal (Lebanon). He has since composed works for film, theatre and dance including the award-winning As I Open My Eyes by Leyla Bouzid (2016), All This Victory by Ahmad Ghossein (2019) and A Universe not Made for Us (2019), a collaboration with contemporary Flamenco dancer and choreographer, Yalda Younes. Khyam is currently completing an M4C/AHRC-funded Ph.D. in composition at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. This research degree will allow him to explore the application of contemporary acoustic, electro-acoustic, and electronic compositional techniques and processes to Arabic music through the use of technology and various instrumentation.

Juror

Abbara
2022

Expert

RedZone
2021

Juror

Production Awards
2020

Grantee

Maraheb Program to Support Artistic Residencies in the Arab region
2011
Khayam Allami of Iraq received support of US 2200 for a two-month residency in Cairo, Egypt to establish an experimental Arabic music group and develop and produce new music. The residency period will be divided into two phases, the first for composing, research, experimenting and rehearsal followed by a tour in Amman, Beirut, Cairo and Alexandria, and the second to record in a studio in Cairo. The co-hosting organization is Ekaa Productions regional office in Cairo

Featured Artist

El Geneina Theater
2011