The William Joseph International Academy for Performing Arts has launched another centre. The academy that was set up a little more than a decade ago has had a lot of students enrolling in every year.

The launch was marked with the performances of the students and faculty of the academy.The evening opened with a piano recital by Ashley William.

This was followed by solo piano recitals by students who performed a range of pieces from ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’, sonatas and pieces of composers from the classical era. There was also a performance by the orchestra of the academy.

 However, a solo violin recital by five-year-old Anoushka De stood out. Sharing his thoughts on her performance, Ashley William, the director of the academy said, “Anoushka’s parents said that their daughter started learning the violin when she was barely three years old. This instilled a lot of confidence in her and now she intends to professionally perform and play the violin.” The William Joseph Chorale rendered Michael Jackson’s ‘Earth Song’ that was set in different harmonies.

There was a violin ensemble which played a few popular pieces. Anika Sanjeevan’s brilliant rendition of popular song  ‘New York, New York’ left the audience asking for more. The duet by Som and Julia stood out with its harmony.

The chorale is all set to go on a national tour followed by its participation at the World Choir Games in 2015. Talking about why it is important to have a centre like this one, Ashley William explained, “There are a few music schools in the City that operate out of music shops and nobody knows anything about professional music training. We hope to impart professional training and make this new centre a more performance-oriented one.” This will be a place for music, dance and theatre.