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The current state of classical concerts would be unrecognizable, even enraging, to the performers and audiences of the past centuries. The stifling rules and rituals, the religious adherence to scores, soaring ticket prices, coupled with several awkward ‘can I clap now?’ moments are relatively new to the heritage of Western
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One of the biggest inflection points in my life happened at age 22 when I moved to Paris. I had just completed my Masters Degree at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and my piano teacher there suggested I continue my studies in France with a colleague who had just served
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I have been dabbling with this mystical and underrated phenomenon called ‘Conducting’ since 2006. As a school boy at St. Stanislaus, Bandra, I conducted my schoolmates for carol singing at homes for the aged. While studying at St. Xavier’s College, I put up choirs for carol competitions and religious
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I had just completed my final set of opera scenes for the academic year at the Royal Academy of Music and was absolutely looking forward to visiting Italy for a good long month to be a part of the incredible Georg Solti Accademia course. I got to know about this
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During all my years as a choir singer (celebrating 31 years of singing this year), making recordings have always come with mixed feelings. On one hand, you feel proud and happy to be able to document and spread your music and your choir, on the other hand, you dread the
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Latest News from On High: From now on in your town Fidelity is banned. If you are found to be faithful on The Day of Sacrifice, you and your partner shall be devoured by the Lake Monster. By Order. It had better not be you! Get unfaithful, quick! This is
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May 2018 was an exciting month for Bangalore – the première of the Bangalore City Chamber Orchestra (BCCO), a new star on the Indian horizon – an ensemble of young serious musicians, spearheaded by Bangalorean, Arun Rozario – founder-director! I admire Arun – his big dream finally found the light of day only
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The most common form of popular music in India is film music – songs from the movies, and Sperry has not shied away from adapting this form for choirs. Popular Music in Choral Format As mentioned in Part I of this series, the Natya Shastra intertwines drama, music and dance. Contemporary
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“One reason I love performing non-Western music is because I don’t find non-Western ideas in the music. I find basic human emotions and experiences that I have, I share, and I understand.” That outlook helps Ethan Sperry take on the daunting challenge of transplanting music between disparate traditions. Sperry
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As we all now know, Mumbai has an opera house, and what better in an opera house than lectures on opera? Apart from operas themselves, naturally. Well, hopefully, interest created by the one will lead to passion for the other. Some months ago, Royal Opera House impresario, Asad Lalljee, asked
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The United States of America (the India that Christopher Columbus thought he reached) and the real India lie on diametrically opposite sides of the globe; noon here, midnight there. The two lands only had sporadic contact in the distant past. But with America’s rise as a nation and the
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“From the minute a child is taught how to play an instrument, he’s no longer poor” Many years ago, soon after we had set up Child’s Play India Foundation, a music charity inspired hugely by the phenomenal success of Venezuela’s El Sistema movement, a wealthy Bombay socialite
