ON Stage is the cultural magazine of the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, and features authoritative stories on the performing arts.
Interviews
Separated by half a century and united in their mission, there is a common thread that runs through the history of the NCPA in Mumbai and the Esplanade in Singapore. Both sit on reclaimed land where once the waters of the Arabian Sea and Singapore Straits respectively flowed and both
Opinion
Isolation appears to have taken an unexpected turn for the Resident Conductor of the SOI, Mikel Toms. The longer the current lockdown drags on, the more you may have noticed my increasing resemblance to Napoleon. Certainly, once a fortnight as I stand beslippered in my back garden, sawing away at
News
There are several developments in the offing at the NCPA as the Symphony Orchestra of India welcomes a new double bass player, two teachers and three apprentice players into the fold. By Beverly Pereira An orchestra, as it were, is a microcosm of perfection—a group of musicians intimately working
News
Anil Dharker’s passing leaves an aching void in the intellectual and cultural life of India. Chairman Khushroo N. Suntook reflects on his cherished association with a dear friend, erudite writer and great supporter of the arts. If you ever imagined an Indian, particularly one representing the country in an
Throwback Thursday
Seven graduating students of the SOI Music Academy look back on their journey and how it has shaped them, inside the classroom, on the stage and out in the world. While talking about this year’s batch of graduating students of the SOI Music Academy, there is a hint of
Opinion
If music be the food of sleep, play on. With apologies to Shakespeare, of course, who would imagine that the great music we so avidly listen to in concert halls could be prescribed by doctors for insomnia? There’s a new science out there, called Arts on Prescription. The U.
Opinion
Beethoven has been described as ‘the Face of Western Classical Music’. You may have your favourites—Mozart, Schubert, Brahms, Bach…but you are still unlikely to dispute that statement, so secure is Ludwig van’s position in the pantheon of music. His music is ingrained in our culture: the opening
News
With its young players blossoming and winning regularly in international competitions, the SOI Music Academy is on a steady path to fulfil its raison d’être—to give India its very own Western classical music ensemble on a par with European ensembles. The brilliant performance of the students in the
Opinion
Shakespeare’s Globe in London, a major theatre and tourist attraction, announced in June last year that it would permanently shut down unless it received a large government handout. The British theatre industry as a whole asked for a £100 million per month bailout. The U.K. government responded to
News
Performing arts centres across continents find themselves at a similar juncture in their otherwise richly diverse histories today—being closed for a prolonged period practically for the first time. The cultural landmark in the heart of Buenos Aires, Teatro Colón saw its majestic auditorium fall silent in March 2020, on
News
The first in a series of talks with renowned artistes presented digitally by the NCPA saw Zakir Hussain and Zane Dalal discuss the convergence and divergence of Indian and Western classical music traditions, and the power of art to unify and overcome hardships. When two artistes deeply passionate about their
Interviews
When houses of culture are built, culture makes its way there without quite concerning itself with ribbon-cutting galas. Years before the NCPA came to call Nariman Point its permanent residence, music had begun to swaddle it in a Breach Candy building. A decade earlier and 6,000-plus miles to the
