Trinity College London, the international examinations board for music, performance arts and language, hosted a gala event in Delhi on March 2. It was a wide-ranging programme, showcasing the Board’s suite of subjects and providing a platform for networking amongst new and old teachers.
The purpose behind the event revealed Trinity’s commitment to its topmost priority—the importance of education in the arts. An important part of the event was to recognise teachers from Delhi | NCR, and express appreciation for and recognition of their professional dedication and commitment to Trinity College London.
The venue was the AIFACS auditorium at New Delhi’s British Council centre, an iconic hall, long a feature of the capital’s concerts and shows. The performances were preceded by a lively meet and greet session over tea with the Trinity team, Martin Oetegenn, Marketing Manager – from London, India General Manager, Sachin Das, Academic Heads Dale Edwards and Anjli Mata, the, Business Development and Operations Manager North India region, Varun Mata, and Head of Operations – India, Sowmiyan Janardhanan, Trinity Academic Consultants – India for music with an expectant audience of teachers and music-lovers.
Unity in diversity would be an appropriate catchphrase to describe the show that followed. While presenting a timeline video which highlighted Trinity’s more than a century-long history and its long association with India, the very first recital also proved that this heritage was very much a living one, as it featured two young performers who are rooted in the Trinity music education system.
Giving a sparkling performance of a Beethoven violin and piano sonata, were award-winning pianist Anuvrat Choudhary, holder of an LTCL and an MMus from Trinity Laban Conservatoire, and teenager Martina Charles, who at age 13 last year, became India’s youngest FTCL holder. The Spring sonata was an apt choice for the balmy spring evening.
The versatile nature of the Performance Arts subject was dazzlingly displayed by Dr Parul Purohit, ATCL in Performance Arts. From a moving and powerful rendition of Maya Angelou’s Phenomenal Woman, to a virtuosic dance performance of Indian classical dance with Sufi elements, she kept her audience mesmerized.
Keynote speaker, Dale Edwards, brought his considerable (and widely acknowledged) oratorical skills and eloquence to make a strong case for the transformative power of creativity in the arts and the role of education in fostering artistic freedom.
Trinity’s youngest member of the assessment suite, Rock & Pop, was represented by the team of academic consultants in the subject. Seasoned teachers all, they also showed themselves to be masters of performance, and kept their listeners tapping and clapping along with their infectious enthusiasm and easy interaction with the audience. Mark Haydon, Pratik Kulgod, Ritwik Bhattacharya, Gopal Krishnan, Abhishek Lal and Annson Mathews, who had come in from across the country for the event, performed a section of hits like Fire, Sultans of Swing, Born to Wild and Twist and Shout, all from the R&P syllabus.
The awards ceremony, recognising the contribution of teachers, was Trinity’s accolade for the great contribution by educationists and a richly deserved one.
It was an evening with something to suit all tastes, and the sumptuous multi-cuisine dinner that followed was in keeping with that theme!
