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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
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The death of English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author and Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology, University of Cambridge, Professor Stephen Hawking on 14 March shook the world. Last year, to celebrate his 75th birthday, his Cambridge college – Gonville & Caius – commissioned composer Cheryl Frances-Hoad to write a
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The Western Music Education Association (WMEA) made its first foray into South India with a full day conference and conducting workshop in Kochi, Kerala, and an informational meeting in Chennai. Both events are part of WMEA’s organisational strategy to establish an all-India presence, reaching out to Western music teachers
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An exciting work for two percussionists from Berlin – Lukas Böhm and Ni Fan, who played the world premiere of this 2-percussion version of a much bigger piece at the Bad Kissingen Festival last summer. The rhythms, splashed on an array of percussion instruments, were inspired by ritual drumming at a
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Creative partnerships, between Western classical music societies and NGOs supporting the legitimacy of waste-pickers, formed the basis of my 6-city tour of India in 2012. These partnerships re-positioned an otherwise conventional Western classical music piano recital tour into one that made impact in unexpected and inspiring ways. The importance of
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Since 2013, Akadêmia has expanded its field of action to include new partners and artists from major Indian cities. In 2016, the production Tales of the Night brought together singers from Delhi and Bangalore and the concert went on tour to Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Delhi. Thanks to a new
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Having had formal training mainly in India, and that too in Delhi, one can note a dearth of opportunities in orchestral experience. There exists few orchestras that are accessible to students and I say quite humbly, that very few are able to play at a high standard and can perform
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Notes from the Calcutta International Classical Guitar Festival 2017 Annual visit to Kolkata has become a pilgrimage to many who are passionate about Classical Guitar. The participants come from all corners of India, as far as Nagaland and Kerala. Since 2010, each winter, the Indian Guitar Federation and the Calcutta
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It all started with a workshop. My then teacher, Mr Pulinkala told me about an Italian conductor who was in Delhi to conduct a workshop concerning opera. Being skeptical as most 14-15 year olds would be, I went there imagining it to be something not quite exciting. Instead, what I
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And so it was time again – bags were packed, kurtas ironed, music in the files and voices full of anticipation. The Bangalore Men goes on tour! After having done two appreciated concerts with Choral Hymns from The Rig Veda, it was time to make two performances in God’s own
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It all began one Friday evening as prospective singers from the city of Coimbatore gathered to be auditioned by the well-known conductor and skilled violinist Faith Ragland who intended to begin a choir, one of its kind. He was quick to evaluate these fresh voices comprising children and adults. Assigning
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The thought process about “what to do next” with your choir is always fun and inspiring. There are so many factors to be taken into account – difficulty level, language, sacred or secular, acappella or with instruments and so on. In February, we were just finishing our Schubert-concerts, as well as
