From Berklee to Bengaluru

Musical odyssey

For many who are part of the ‘Berklee Indian Ensemble’, recently in the city to perform at the ‘Ganesh Utsava’ celebrations, this was their first time in the country.

And the students of Berklee College of Music managed to squeeze in a few hours to go shopping on Commercial Street and sample the native fare in a hectic couple of days (They were often up rehearsing till well past midnight). “They really enjoyed eating ‘idli’, ‘vada’ and ‘dosa’,” says Annette Philip, an alumna of the college and the ensemble’s founder. “We hope to tour a lot more in India in the coming years,’’ says the Boston-based artiste.

They have been noticed for their A R Rahman numbers, but their repertoire includes a much wider range of Indian music. “We have folk, Qawwali and other sufi forms,” she adds. “We also perform music by the likes of Shankar Mahadevan, Amjed Ali Khan and a few indie bands as well. And we really like some of the ‘Coke Studio’ tracks.”

The ensemble collaborated with two artistes at the 54th edition of the annual extravaganza on Tuesday evening — the Bengaluru-based Raghu Dixit who taught them ‘Huttidare Kannada naadal huttabeku’ from the Rajkumar hit ‘Akasmika’ and playback singer Vijay Prakash. The latter has even visited the college in Boston and worked with the students there. “He’s also sung a composition by one of our students Shashank Navaladi, titled ‘Arz e Niyaz’,” says the faculty member of the Voice and Ensemble departments at Berklee.
“How many students in India will get such an opportunity?”, asks Annette.

Of the musician who has lent his voice to tracks in films like ‘Jai Ho’, she says, “It’s always a pleasure to work with him. He’s so professional and enthusiastic; he never fails to inspire the students.”

While a fair number comprising the ensemble are of Indian origin, the current members come from across 10 countries, including USA, UAE, Bahrain, Spain and Indonesia.

“There’s so much to learn when you’re collaborating and sharing ideas with artistes from all over the world,” says the Delhi-bred artiste who hails from Kerala.

She recalls Bengaluru when she first visited it as a child as being amazing — “an amazing city with amazing weather’’.

 It’s also special to her because she has performed here before she flew across the globe to first become a student and then a faculty at a music institute of repute. “The first time I performed here was at Christ College with my vocal ensemble ‘Artistes Unlimited’,” she says, referring to a group she founded back in 2003. “The audience too was amazing, and so was the experience.”