ON Stage is the cultural magazine of the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, and features authoritative stories on the performing arts.
Features
The June of 1978 marked a rare occurrence. The American rock legend Bruce Springsteen had a reputation for being reluctant to perform outdoors. But when he was told, “Red Rocks is simply indoors without a roof ”, a curious Springsteen was compelled to come around. His debut at the Red Rocks
Music Education
Maria Caniglia was born in Naples on 5th May 1905. It was considered a blessing when Agostino Roche accepted her as his student, since he was responsible for the stellar technique of Ebe Stignani, one of the great mezzo sopranos of the 20th century. Stignani was older than Caniglia by
Music Education
In the Spring 2024 Season, the Symphony Orchestra of India will be performing a wide array of orchestral works, mostly from the 19th century, some with evocative titles and others with none. Some of these pieces were initially meant for the concert hall, while others were meant for the opera
Features
The SOI Spring 2024 Season brims with the beauty of orchestral music featuring the return of beloved artistes and the India debut of a Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano, a celebrated conductor, and a masterful cellist. We speak to Gergely Madaras, Sasha Cooke and Bryan Cheng ahead of their debut at the
Throwback Thursday
Rated as one of the most accomplished singers of her time, Toti Dal Monte was born in Venice on 27th June 1893. Her ambition was to become a concert pianist and she entered the Benedetto Marcello Conservatory in Venice while still a child. A strained tendon in her left hand
News
With a sweeping victory across multiple categories at an international competition in Dubai, students of the SOI Music Academy bring home laurels and memories. The SOI Music Academy, devoted to the resolve of imparting education and training to young, promising musicians, recently completed 10 glorious years. In a land where
Know Your Composer
The Symphony Orchestra of India, resident at the NCPA in Mumbai, is blessed with the harmony in diversity of many nationalities among its musicians. The unique sound of this young-in-years, musically maturing ensemble reflects not only the virtuosity of the players but also their international cultural contexts and training pedigrees.
Music Education
Madama Butterfly, an opera in two acts by Giacomo Puccini to a libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, after David Belasco’s play, was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on 17th February 1904. A revised version, comprising three acts, was presented at the Teatro Grande in
Features
Every corner of the historic cityscape of Edinburgh—the cobbled streets, the tall medieval architecture and the green hills—has learned to breathe art and music. It is a small city, but the cultural wealth it nurtures is enormous. The Scottish Parliament Building that sits within the UNESCO World Heritage
Throwback Thursday
Luisa Tetrazzini was one of the most famous Italian sopranos of the 19th-20th centuries. She began singing at the age of three, which is perhaps why her father compared her to one of the great coloratura singers of the 19th century, Adelina Patti, who had also begun performing as a
News
Much has transpired between the SOI’s maiden tour of the U.K. in 2019 and its upcoming one this November and December. Mr. Khushroo N. Suntook, Chairman, NCPA, reflects on the orchestra’s growth in the intervening years. Not too long after the Symphony Orchestra of India’s tour
Reviews
Running a symphony orchestra is a full-time job indeed. It goes without saying that a music director must know every bit of the tools needed to curate a season from scratch. It is impossible to predict how a season will turn out, even with advanced knowledge of the forthcoming repertoire
