ON Stage is the cultural magazine of the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, and features authoritative stories on the performing arts.
Opinion
Eminent businesswoman, Vinita Bali, draws on her experience in the corporate world to examine why supporting the performing arts is not only culturally important but is also good for business. “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time” – Thomas Merton The cultural heritage of civilisations
Opinion
Renowned names from the world of Western classical music, whom the NCPA has hosted on its stage, weigh in on what cancelled concerts, the gift of gestation, and the return to live performances amidst restrictions entail for the performing arts. Dame Felicity Lott, soprano This pandemic has made me try
News
In Vivian Liff’s passing, the NCPA lost its great patron and generous contributor to the creation of the Stuart-Liff Library. Chairman Khushroo N. Suntook remembers the authority on opera, renowned writer and music critic, and a dear friend. At times, you seek solitude to be alone with your thoughts,
Interviews
Before he went on to become a bestselling author of unputdownable novels, Dan Brown studied music to forge a career as a singer-songwriter and pianist. Seven thrillers later, he returns to classical music with his first picture book for young readers about a unique orchestra in the wild. In an
News
Socially distanced seating, pre-concert disinfectant mists, music-enhancing face masks, state-of-the-art drive-in concerts – the pandemic has got us thinking on our feet. Richard Nowell, technical consultant to the NCPA and other international organisations, recounts his first-hand experience of making the English National Opera’s Drive & Live: a top-notch sonic event
Music Education
International research is of three kinds: scientific, science-fictionish and vacuous. Possibly belonging to the second category is recent work at MIT which used AI (artificial intelligence) to turn the Coronavirus into classical music. This is done, according to Professor Markus J. Buehler, to better understand the virus. Researchers assigned each
Music Education
From works of non-fiction to novels, and video documents to feature films, Xerxes F. Unvala, General Manager – Symphony Orchestra of India & Western Classical Music at the NCPA, recommends essential reading and viewing to widen your understanding of and delve deeper into the genre. Framing a list of resources that
Music Education
The first half of the 20th century bears testimony to the tragically ephemeral career of the Polish violinist whose virtuosity belied his age. By Cavas Bilimoria “Full many a flower is born to blush unseen and waste its sweetness on the desert air” – Gray’s Elegy Most teenage prodigies are
Interviews
Deeply enmeshed as the arts may be in the life of a nation, few symbols of culture manage to symbolise a nation itself. The Bolshoi Theatre is that formidable badge of excellence that Russia wears with pride. The 244-year-old home to ballet and opera has been a bearer of the
Throwback Thursday
Historically, the credit for keeping the performing arts thriving in India has rested with royal patronage. Times have changed but even today, the arts share a symbiotic relationship with connoisseur patrons who strive to keep culture alive through their munificence. By Reshma O. Pathare How does one quantify the enrichment
Opinion
Until the Coronavirus got its vicious spikes all over it, 2020 was meant to be Beethoven’s year. He was born on 17th December 1770 in Bonn. (In Vienna, where he spent most of his adult life and died in 1827, they regard 16th December as his birthday). In either
Interviews
As countries gradually lift restrictions, it has become easier to believe that the enriching experience of attending a live concert is not a distant reality. Gauthier Herrmann, who founded the Artie’s Festival in collaboration with the NCPA, tells us how his chamber music ensemble has been adapting to the