ON Stage is the cultural magazine of the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, and features authoritative stories on the performing arts.
Throwback Thursday
Onay Zhumabayeva, cellist and Orchestra Manager, looks back on the SOI’s journey from the first-ever season in 2006 to the 29th, beginning this month. The thrill and challenge of moving in uncharted waters are inseparable. The pioneers of the Symphony Orchestra of India, in creating the country’s first
Music Education
Ahead of the Autumn 2022 Season of the Symphony Orchestra of India which features three widely regarded adaptations of the classic, a look at the historical context in which they were written, the norms they challenged and what emerged from the synthesis of Shakespeare with music. The global reputation and
Interviews
From its inception in 2006 to the grand Autumn 2022 Season and many milestones in between, the Symphony Orchestra of India has had a remarkable journey. We speak to violin virtuoso, SOI co-founder and Music Director Marat Bisengaliev about his vision, the orchestra’s educational initiatives and upcoming concerts. ON
News
The Autumn 2022 Season of the Symphony Orchestra of India is grand in its scope, with a stellar line-up and a programme worthy of a return to the stage. For more than one reason, the forthcoming Symphony Orchestra of India season in September 2022 is so very welcome. Firstly, the
News
The SOI Chamber Orchestra’s recent tour to Bengaluru and Chennai travelled beyond packed concert halls to reach aspiring young musicians and newer audiences, and created a lasting impact. As if to finish a melody that started two years ago, the SOI Chamber Orchestra was recently back in Bengaluru to
News
One could not have imagined that the site of a colossal neo-baroque structure, devoid of what fills and nurtures it— people, cheer and laughter—would turn into something poetically beautiful. Two years ago, Berliner Ensemble, the theatre company founded by Bertolt Brecht in 1949, decided to adapt to the woes
News
Szilveszter Ókovács, General Director, Hungarian State Opera, writes about the collaboration between Hungary’s national opera company and the Symphony Orchestra of India for the SOI Autumn 2022 Season. “We are delighted that many years of efforts have finally borne fruit and we are pleased to reproduce the direct communication
Music Education
In his brief life, Alexander Pushkin wrote poems, plays and novels that transcended continents, cultures—and the literary realm. In the month of the 223rd birth anniversary of the founder of modern Russian literature, a look at how his works enriched the world of music. Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (1799-1837) is,
Music Education
Why is opting for a career in music, especially Western classical music, not an easy decision? We learn about the concerns and fears of the parents of three SOI Music Academy alumni who are pursuing or about to embark on a higher education in music overseas. We also speak to
Throwback Thursday
A chance encounter can sometimes become a memory one preserves for a lifetime. In 1982, on his way to America, Dr. Cavas Bilimoria—the NCPA physician and an amateur violinist with a deep adoration and sound knowledge of Western classical music—had a brief sojourn in Amsterdam. A spontaneous walk
News
On the last weekend of March, the queen of suburbs was treated to two joyous evenings of music and dance as the National Centre for the Performing Arts took its initiative, NCPA@ThePark, to the Bandra Fort Amphitheatre. After the tremendous success of the first edition at the Cooperage Bandstand,
Interviews
What makes chamber music special? We delve into its history and modern repertoire, and speak to violinist Ralph de Souza ahead of his chamber music performances with the Symphony Orchestra of India this month. It was the string quartet—the most prestigious of chamber music genres—that the great German