'We want music to bind people together'

Many Indians are willing to learn, and have “great potential” to learn European classical music. But they don’t take it seriously because of “less pay in this profession”, according to  Nadzeda Balyan, choir conductor, Neemrana Music Foundation.

“This is where the struggle lies in teaching European classical music to Indian musicians. Because it’s not their job, they have mindset of not taking it seriously. I have seen many engineers and doctors who want to learn music, but because of insufficient pay, they don’t take it up as a profession,” Balyan tells Metrolife.

Formed in 2012, the foundation aims to promote classical music and believes in building bridges of understanding between different cultures. “Through the group, we want to share our knowledge of European classical music and take knowledge from India as well,” says Balyan.

According to the 42-year-old, Indian classical and European classical music are very similar.

“We actually want to tell people about the similarities of the two genres. Even if they appear to be very different from each other, there is still a lot of connection. Like, in Indian classical music you have notes like sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha, ni and sa, European classical music has do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti and do. Both these notes sound similar to each other. We want music to be a medium to bind people together,” she says.

Last week, around 25 members of the foundation performed at the inaugural ceremony of the ongoing European Union Film Festival at Siri Fort Auditorium. Playing compositions like Ode to Joy and Shakuntala in opera, the group mesmerised the audience.

Balyan says that European classical music evokes emotions in the listener. “For instance, ‘Ode to Joy is a Beethoven composition; it is a kind of a hymn. The lyrics of the song signify that when we sing, we should be together. Even though all the members of the choir are different from each other, the music says that we must enjoy it together.”

She has been associated with the foundation for five years. Apart from performing at several cultural institutes in the city, the foundation also sends its members abroad on scholarships to become music teachers.

The foundation has members from different countries, but majority of them come from India, says Balyan.

“Ninety per cent of our members are Indians. The foundation gives an effective platform to Indian singers to sing opera on such a stage. In Europe, one needs to study for least 10-15 years to perform opera on a stage like this,” she says.