10 Facts About Naresh Sohal

Naresh Sohal was a British composer of Indian origin.

Naresh Sohal was the first composer in this tradition ever to make settings of texts in Punjabi and Bengali.

Naresh Sohal was the first composer ever to be offered an annual bursary by the Arts Council of Great Britain.

Naresh Sohal did not come from a musical family, but his father, Des Raj, was an Urdu poet of some reputation and poets often held gatherings at the family home in Jalandhar.

Naresh Sohal determined to learn more about how such music was created.

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Naresh Sohal's resolve hardened when an Indian musician refused to teach him Indian classical music on the mouth organ.

Naresh Sohal was largely self-educated, but was mentored for some time by the composer and teacher Jeremy Dale Roberts whom he held in high regard.

Naresh Sohal had his first work, Asht Prahar, performed at a Society for the Promotion of New Music concert in 1970.

Naresh Sohal was always concerned with the existential questions at the heart of Indian philosophy, and maintained an interest in the musical culture of the sub-continent.

Naresh Sohal was working on an orchestral piece for the South Bank Centre in London when he died unexpectedly in 2018, on Vesak, the day that marks the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha.