Singing without boundaries

Mixed Splendour

The students and faculty members of the World Music Centre (WMC)
recently performed a musical feast comprising Carnatic, Hindustani and western recitals to a packed audience in Seva Sadan recently. Around 70 students, along with the 10 faculty members, of the Centre, took part in the event.

There was something for everyone in the audience. Among the recitals, nine-year-old Pranjali Sinha’s Hindustani classical rendition mesmerised the audience.

 “She has been learning music since the time she was four and a half. Whenever the opportunity arises, she sings,” said Mukesh Kumar Sinha, her father, adding that she has already recorded three bhajans for a TV channel and has participated in a reality show. “She practises everyday for two hours,” added her mother Surabhi Sinha.

Asha Rajesh was there to watch her 12-year-old son perform. “This is his second performance. He practises whenever he has time,” she said. The grand finale was the ‘Classic Collage’, a performance by the western music faculty. They presented different classics from various genres like rock n’ roll, latin, funk, jazz, reggae and classical to name a few. It featured Jeet on lead guitar, Floyd Santimano on keyboard, Antony Raj on the saxophone, Vivian Christopher on drums and Shanmukha Rao on world percussion. They performed Oye Como Va by Santana, ‘Chameleon’ by Herbie Hancock, ‘Autumn Leaves’ by Eva Cassidy, ‘Play that Funky Music White Boy’ by Wild Cherry and ‘Jammin’ by Bob Marley.

“Usually, only students perform at such events. But this time, we wanted the faculty to perform as well. We want people to recognise that they are not just faculty members but also accomplished musicians,” said Sangeetha Srikishen, founder principal of WMC. “Each one of the performers of the ‘Classic Collage’ is well-versed, trained and experienced in their chosen field of music and have been performing all over. We are looking forward to the next one in December,” she added.

“The performance was organised by the students of our music school from the Carnatic, Hindustani and the western sections. We want to provide children the exposure and feel of what it is to perform on stage. This time, in the programme, different styles were blended,” she explained.

Rishabh Jois, a seventh grade student, who played the piano, said, “It’s just about going with the flow. It’s about having fun and mastering the pieces.” D Ramesh, a senior citizen, said, “I enjoy attending cultural programmes, which is the reason I am here. Every week I try to attend at least two such programmes,” he said adding that he liked Hindustani classical music the best.