Conservatory Christmas show on Dec 14

The second edition of ‘Light Up A Life’, a charity Christmas Musical Concert was held on December 8, 6.30 pm, at the Baldwins High School. The event had been organised by Radiant School of Learning (RSL) in association with The Bangalore Conservatory.

Performances included choir songs such as ‘Glory, Let There be Peace, and Christmas carols such as ‘Joy to the World’, ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ and ‘Silent Night’. Apart from a men’s quartet and women’s vocal group, four students from the Radiant School of Learning-- Neriah Abigale Pinto, Krupa Prasad, Elizabeth V and Jiankhamliu-- also performed. Much of the performances of the evening, however, was put forward by the students of The Bangalore Conservatory. The students formed a choir, as well as performed as part of a guitar ensemble, and even a bells ensemble.

With the motto of “Building people to build a better world through music”, the Bangalore Conservatory hoped that the event would help RSL is accomplishing their similar vision, through education.

The music school was set up in 2005 with the aim of offering aspiring musicians in India a way to access college-level training without having to go abroad. “When we started, there was no other school in India offering college-level training in the Western classical tradition. For many, going abroad is impractical or impossible,” shares Ken Henson, founder of the Bangalore Conservatory.

Many youngsters join their program right out of school, at the age of 17 or 18. “We also have many students who completed their degree in other fields. At some point they would have realised they want to make music their career,” he says. Most of their graduates go on to become teachers, themselves. A few of them have even established their own music schools. “A well-trained musician, capable of teaching group classes, can earn enough by teaching three to four hours a day. They can dedicate the rest of their time towards developing their own art and performance ambitions. Many of our grads head music teams in their church,” he shares.

The students will be performing a Christmas concert on December 14, at 7 pm, at their Kothanur campus. Entry is free.