Throwback Thursday
From reclaiming new land to finding the right acoustics, Dr. Jamshed Bhabha had to undergo every struggle imaginable to launch the NCPA. By Anil Dharker “We will build the NCPA on this part of the Arabian Sea.” These could well have been the words of Dr. Jamshed Bhabha as he
Meet the Maestro
Serenade Team: You have performed in practically every style of the Choral repertoire ranging from the Gregorian chant to the 21st century. Do you have a personal stylistic preference? David Hill: I don’t have a stylistic preference or, indeed, favourite composer as I have always felt deep connections with
Features
Born and raised in the small town of Shillong, Meghalaya, I wasn’t blessed with the easiest access to classical music. I was busy ‘not singing’ in my earlier days, having studied at St. Edmunds School and College, I only discovered my singing talent later in my early twenties. Having
Features
When we began our music charity for disadvantaged children Child’s Play India Foundation (www.childsplayindia.org), we made an appeal to the community to donate unused musical instruments to us. Seven years on, this is not as big a crunch as the need for more teachers to allow us
Music Education
Unless a singer has perfect pitch (and a few of you lucky ones do), they’ll appreciate being given a starting pitch from the rehearsal pianist. Often, a pianist’s first instinct is to do exactly that: they play the singer’s first note on the piano, with one finger,
News
Wednesday 1 March, National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai Trailblazing London-based conductor Robert Ames leads the Chamber Orchestra of the Symphony Orchestra of India in a special evening celebrating composer Vanraj Bhatia. Known for writing the scores for the films by Parallel Cinema director Shyam Benegal, Bhatia will
Interviews
Nikhil Sardana: What is Classical Movements? When did you set up your company? What is the vision and purpose of this organisation and where is it headed? Neeta Helms: Classical Movements is a premier concert touring company that was started officially in the year 1992. We work with very professional
Reviews
Elucidating Wagner’s Rich Myth of Transformation INTRODUCTION It is hard to visit a performance of Parsifal without interpretative clutter getting in the way. It is not drawn primarily from a Christian source, despite being linked to Christian references. Nor is it a “sacred drama”, for Wagner had far more
Music Education
Music exams are criterion-referenced, meaning that marks are awarded according to pre-determined criteria. The advantage of a criterion-referenced exam is that anyone can get a distinction as long as their performance is good enough when matched against the criteria, as opposed to a norm-referenced system, in
Travel Diaries
American Soprano and Assistant Professor of Voice at The University of Alabama, Susan Williams, made her second trip to Kolkata, India to perform a series of concerts with pianist Jennifer Heemstra, founder of Kolkata Classics. On one of my first nights in Kolkata, we were invited to a private residence
Interviews
Nikhil Sardana: What are your earliest memories of being exposed to music? Dr Ahmad Naser Sarmast: I was born in the family of one of the most well-known conductor, songwriter and composer of Afghanistan – Ustad Salim Sarmast. Given the environment within our family, which was most of the time
News
The Monte Music Festival, presented by Fundação Oriente and Cidade de Goa, is back for the 15th year to captivate Western and Eastern music enthusiasts. The Festival will be held from Friday, February 3rd 2017 to Sunday 5th February 2017 at the Chapel of Our Lady of Mount, Old Goa.