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 hosting
Interviews
Kong Pauline Warjri is a pianist, singer, songwriter, arranger, composer and music educator, and the conductor-founder of two choirs – Aroha Choir and the Aroha Children’s Choir. From one of my earliest encounters with her, I recall one of the narrations about what made her connect more deeply with her
Interviews
Nikhil Sardana: What is the history of Yamaha Music? When did you first start operations in India and what products do you currently offer in this field? Hitoshi Mochizuki: Since 1887, when it began producing reed organs, the Yamaha Corporation in Japan (then Nippon Gakki Co. Ltd.) has grown to
Interviews
Nikhil Sardana: What is your fondest memory of Olga Craen as her student? Zinnia Khajotia: Her sense of humour - especially after a tipple or two! Her attention to detail and demands for perfection every time. She lived by her own set of principles in both her personal and professional
Interviews
Stephen Vaglica: Pervez, what got you into music? Pervez Mody: As a child I was extremely quiet and introverted albeit stubborn as hell. Even as a child who couldn’t say much as protest I used to create hell if I didn’t get what I wanted. What got this
Interviews
Nikhil Sardana: What is the International Music & Arts Society? Tell us about its founder. What was the purpose and vision of setting up this organisation? Urmila Devi Kotda Sangani: The International Music & Arts Society(IMAS) is a charitable, not-for-profit organisation founded in 1974 by my mother Rani Vijaya
Interviews
Sebanti Chatterjee: Hello! Please tell us a little bit about your journey to the world of Western classical music? Sunit Tandon: I came here in the mid 70’s. I learnt piano at Lucknow. My Piano teacher introduced me to the then director, Mr. Palamkote. Thereafter, I was introduced to
Interviews
Nikhil Sardana: Please share you background with us. K N Suntook: I am a Bombay person. My family has been here for hundreds of years. We grew up in a very western atmosphere. My grandfather had a huge collection of records and would play the piano and sing Lieder after
Interviews
Nikhil Sardana: Please share your background with us. Dickoo Nowroji: I was born into a musical family in Jamshedpur. My father was a connoisseur who understood the finer points of Western classical music to an unusual degree. We had a huge LP collection, and the best mono system in town
Interviews
Nikhil Sardana: Please share your background with us. Alan Gemmell: I grew up in Scotland in an ordinary working class community and somewhere between the ages of 12 and 13 had my first piano lesson. A year later I went to the Royal Conservatoire of Music (formerly Royal Scottish Academy
Interviews
Nikhil Sardana: Please share your background with us. Marialena Fernandes: I grew up in Bombay in a family of four sisters and one brother. My parents came from Goa and Mangalore and are Roman Catholic by religion - conversion through colonisation. Ever since I can remember, music has been the
Interviews
Nikhil Sardana: When did you set up the Bombay Chamber Orchestra and what was your inspiration behind this initiative? Jini Dinshaw: The Bombay Chamber Orchestra (BCO) was founded in 1962. On my return from the UK, I discovered that the Bombay Symphony Orchestra and the Bombay Philharmonia were no longer