The Symphony Orchestra of India is Hiring | Apply Today!
The Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) is India’s first and only professional orchestra. Based at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai, it was founded in 2006 by NCPA Chairman Khushroo N. Suntook and internationally-renowned violinist Marat Bisengaliev. The SOI regularly performs with today’s leading conductors and soloists, including Charles Dutoit, Martyn Brabbins, Maria João Pires, Augustin Dumay, and many more. International tours have taken the SOI to Russia, Oman, the UAE and Switzerland.
The SOI is seeking musicians playing symphonic instruments to join the orchestra. The minimum age limit to apply is 18 years at the time of application.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Performing in the Symphony Orchestra of India and the SOI Chamber Orchestra
- Participating in chamber music performances, as required
- Participating in the SOI’s educational and outreach programmes, both at the NCPA and other venues
SALARY
Salary commensurate to experience.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Please send your CV and video recordings via email to hello@serenademagazine.com
Please note that all applicants must be legally eligible to work in India.
Khushroo N. Suntook, Chariman
Marat Bisengaliev, Music Director
“A world-class ensemble” - The Spectator
“A very fine orchestra that can be compared with a lot of good ensembles all over the world” - Maestro Zubin Mehta
“This is clearly an orchestra that’s going places.” - Miranda Heggie, The Arts Desk, on the SOI’s UK tour
The Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI), housed at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, is India’s first and only professional orchestra. It was founded in 2006 by NCPA Chairman Khushroo N. Suntook and violin virtuoso Marat Bisengaliev, who serves as the orchestra’s Music Director.
The SOI has worked with such renowned conductors as Zubin Mehta, Martyn Brabbins, Carlo Rizzi, Charles Dutoit, Karl Jenkins and more. Soloists appearing with the SOI have included Maria João Pires, Augustin Dumay, Simon O’Neill, Stephen Hough, Angel Blue, Zakir Hussain, Barry Douglas amongst others.
International tours have seen the SOI perform in the Hall of Columns in Moscow; the Royal Opera House, Muscat; the Emirates Palace Auditorium, Abu Dhabi; the Tonhalle, Zurich; Victoria Hall, Geneva; and the Tonhalle, St. Gallen; and at prestigious venues across the United Kingdom.
Apart from the mainstays of the symphonic repertoire, the NCPA and SOI have also presented large-scale productions, including fully-staged opera productions of Tosca, Cavalleria rusitcana/Pagliacci, Madama Butterfly, La Bohème and more recently Die Fledermaus in 2022 in collaboration with the Hungarian State Opera.
The orchestra comprises a core group of resident musicians who form the SOI Chamber Orchestra. It enjoys a year-round busy performing schedule with regular series of concerts performed at the NCPA as well as other venues across Mumbai and India.
The SOI also places great emphasis on education, with many of the SOI musicians doubling as teachers to develop the musical potential of young people in India. An in-house traineeship programme workshops, masterclasses, and teacher-training programmes in various cities form an integral part of this endeavour. Chief amongst the Orchestra’s educational initiatives is the SOI Music Academy which brings a professional level of teaching to gifted young musicians. Several graduates of the Academy have gone on to pursue music in leading conservatories around the world, often coming back full circle to perform as part of the SOI.
The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, is India's premier cultural institution committed to preserving and promoting India's rich and vibrant artistic heritage in the fields of music, dance, theatre, film, literature and photography, as well as presenting new and innovative work by Indian and international artistes. Inaugurated in 1969, it was the first multi-venue, multi-genre cultural centre in South Asia. Today, the NCPA hosts more than 500 events each year, making it India's largest and most holistic performing arts centre. Facing the Arabian Sea, the sprawling campus houses five theatres, libraries, open spaces and a gallery.
The NCPA was the brainchild of JRD Tata and Dr. Jamshed Bhabha, two visionaries who recognised India's need for an all-encompassing world-class performing arts centre. Its present Chairman, Khushroo N. Suntook, has taken the NCPA to new heights.
Luminaries from various fields have contributed towards lending the NCPA the iconic status it enjoys, with such artistes as Satyajit Ray, Yehudi Menuhin as its earliest mentors and Zakir Hussain, who is associated with the NCPA not only as an illustrious performer but also a member of its council.
As India's role on the international stage expands, the NCPA has been investing in the country's cultural future. It established the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) in 2006 which has performed with some of the world's leading conductors and soloists. Strong collaborations with institutions like Southbank Centre, Carnegie Hall, National Theatre (London), the Edinburgh Festival, and the Metropolitan Opera (New York) further enrich the programming at the NCPA.
With its great emphasis on education, the NCPA is regarded as a major centre for training and education, building on an already well-established programme of workshops, seminars, and special events for families and children.
Having celebrated its golden jubilee in 2019, the NCPA continues to build on its reputation as one of the leading arts centres in Asia.
All Image Credits: NCPA Mumbai
