BAT wins maiden StanChart ‘Symphony – Brands in Sync’ musical contest 

Standard Chartered Bangladesh recently held the Grand Finale of "Symphony – Brands in Sync", the first corporate band competition in Dhaka. 

The contest launched in November 2021 is the first-of-its-kind in Bangladesh, said a press release. 

The awards were conferred on 25 June. British American Tobacco Bangladesh was named this year's champion. 

Unilever Bangladesh Limited was recognised as the first runner-up, while Robi Axiata Limited was recognised as the second runner-up.  

Among the finalists were British American Tobacco Bangladesh, Brac, Marico Bangladesh Limited, Robi Axiata Limited, and Unilever Bangladesh Limited. 

The bands performed a range of songs celebrating patriotism and the spirit of the day, a day which marked the momentous occasion of the inauguration of the Padma Bridge.

The following awards were also given to this year's standout performers — Best Bassist Tahmid Tishad Khan, British American Tobacco Bangladesh; Best Drummer/Beatboxer Muntasir Mynuddin, Robi Axiata Limited, Best Guitarist Shafaat Mridha, Unilever Bangladesh Limited, Best Keyboardist Grace P Sengupta, Brac, Best Lyricist Tahmid Tishad Khan and Saif Sohan, British American Tobacco Bangladesh and Best Vocalist Khadizatul Kobra Sraboni, Brac. 

The bands performed in front of an audience of over 650 and a judges' panel that included musical icons like Bappa Mazumder, Partha Barua, and Naquib Khan. 

Event attendees enjoyed a headlining performance from Warfaze, featuring Sunjoy Kamran Rahman – the band's former lead vocalist.  

Naser Ezaz Bijoy, chief executive officer, Standard Chartered Bangladesh, said, "We are delighted to celebrate these talented musicians and their inspiring performances on such an auspicious day – a day that celebrates our nation's 50-year journey of growth and prosperity. I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh for the inauguration of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge which to the millions of Bangladeshis, is more than a bridge, but rather a bold statement of Bangladesh's ability to turn dreams to reality. I would like to dedicate this first iteration of our signature platform, Symphony – Brands in Sync, to this historic achievement."

In late 2021, Standard Chartered's corporate clients were invited to register their in-house bands via their relationship managers. During the preliminary stage of the competition, interested bands submitted pre-recorded audio tracks. 

The five finalists for this year's Grand Finale event were selected based on an assessment of the submitted tracks by the panel of judges. Once selected, finalists benefitted from two months of practice in addition to one-on-one mentoring from the trio of celebrity judges.