Alam, Khan Chandra & Friends

Sohini Alam is a British/Bangladeshi vocalist whose musical repertoire includes folk, as well as both modern and traditional Bengali songs with a specialisation in Nazrul Sangeet. As a third-generation vocalist, she was trained by her mother. She also composes her own music and has branched out into multi-lingual music in bands, for dance, and for theatre. She is the lead vocalist for a number of bands and a co-founder of the Komola Collective, which tells stories from a female perspective. Furthermore, she is currently on a worldwide tour with Akram Khan’s production Until the Lions.

The brothers Pintoo and Haider Khan hail from Rajasthan, the western edge of India, and were born into a dynasty of musicians who have been passing on their knowledge in terms of classical Indian music and Rajasthani folk songs for generations. They have been living and working in Austria since 2012 and have contributed to several music projects by [dunkelbunt], Donjohnston, Kaveri Sageder, Skero, and Harri Stojka. They have also performed at venues such as Popfest Vienna, Gasometer, Porgy & Bess, and Wiener Konzerthaus. The two brothers regularly collaborate with their third brother, Iqbal, who is also part of tonight’s cast. They perform on the traditional instruments Tabla, Khartal, Morchang, Bhapang, and Dholak. The long-necked lute Tanpura is played by Gefion Gufler.

The formation is completed by the transverse flutist Rina Chandra, who studied her instrument in Delhi and Mumbai. Since 2011, she has been appearing in concerts as a soloist and working regularly on dance and poetry projects, as well as in meditation and storytelling. Numerous performances have lead the artist to venues such as the Wiener Konzerthaus, Porgy & Bess, and the University of Vienna, as well as international showcases in Bosnia, France, Hungary, and more often India.