Throwback Thursday
For a musician seeking to gain orchestral experience in India, playing with the Kolkata Youth Orchestra, for their concert at the G.D. Birla Sabhaghar, Kolkata on the evening of the 21st of July, was indeed an enriching experience. The Kolkata Youth Orchestra is a sixty-member strong orchestral ensemble, directed
Music Education
One of the best part about opera is that it can be a lifelong practice of discovery. Even some of opera’s best-loved arias come with hidden layers of meaning, that sometimes take a while to recognise. We’ve compiled a few of our favourite arias, and why they’re
Features
When I was in elementary school, in Saratoga Springs, New York, USA, I would finish my homework and sometimes go down to the basement. There, I would turn on my Nintendo Gamecube, and play video games, sometimes alone, sometimes with family or friends. One thing grabbed my attention more than
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Interviews
Excitement was in the air at the Royal Opera House, Mumbai when I met with the curator, Asad Lalljee. In a few short hours, the very first full opera was to be performed at this historic venue since its reopening. I was there to gain an insight into the mind
Reviews
First of all kudos to Giving Voice for producing this delightful comic opera using predominantly an Indian cast. This would not have been possible without the support of various sponsors and donors. However, had it not been for the artistic directors Patricia Rozario and Mark Troop who have single-handedly groomed
Reviews
Jennifer Heemstra, the iconic entrepreneur, pianist and social activist (Yes, I actually said that) of cultural enlightenment and change, who has in three brief years made this city her second home and brought some great American talent to its audiences, presented in the latest of this year’s series, the
Features
It is often a great mystery what people, works, and instruments remain in the minds of those who enjoy classical music. Even in the very small world of saxophonists, there are certain legends which take hold and others which fall by the wayside. Sometimes, though, there are flashes of incidents
Music Education
“It’s unplayable,” said the virtuoso pianist and composer Milij Balakirev, “there are passages in this work that I simply can’t manage.” Alexander Scriabin seriously damaged his right hand frantically practicing this composition, and Maurice Ravel remarked that his goal in writing Gaspard de la nuit was to compose
Interviews
Maria Badstue had set aside all thoughts of her adoption from India. An invitation to conduct an opera in Mumbai made her confront her past. The Royal Opera House in Mumbai is poised to stage its first full-length Italian opera, Domenico Cimarosa’s comedy Il Matrimonio Segreto, with a run
News
The opening of the Royal Opera House, Mumbai offers a huge opportunity for prestige events. We, Giving Voice Society, are preparing the first ever full-length opera production in this beautiful venue, an occasion of great significance. Following the success of our productions of Britten’s Little Sweep in 2013 and
Reviews
A concert at the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford is, at least for this reviewer, never just a concert at the Sheldonian. Woven into the Sheldonian’s tapestries are the stuff of legend; blending with its paintings are picture windows framing the gleaming, sunburnt walls of Oxford’s architectural treasures. This
