The Symphony Orchestra of India that recently celebrated its 10th season aims to create awareness about Western classical music among Indian audiences.
Four years ago when the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai thought of creating the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI), the idea was simple: To set up the country’s first professional Symphony orchestra that would not only offer Western classical music of international quality to Indian audiences but also provide a platform to musicians to showcase their skills. Today, it has performed at international avenues and also helped Mumbai audiences to enjoy ballets, operas and challenging symphonic pieces of great composers.
Led by renowned conductor and violinist, maestro Marat Beisengaliev, the orchestra comprises an international ensemble of musicians from India, Kazakhistan, Russia and other parts of the world.
Describing how the SOI was formed, Khushroo N Suntook, Chairman, NCPA says, “The musicians were auditioned and handpicked by Marat. Then they were put through a mentoring programme with some of the senior members of the orchestra doubling up as teachers. Some of them have also been trained under skilled experts from Russian and Kazakh conservatories.”
This year the 10th season of SOI, which started from February 14, was dedicated to NCPA’s founder Dr Jamshed Bhabha and included some masterpieces like Mahler’s 4th symphony, Brahm’s 2nd symphony, Prokofiev’s 2nd violin concerto and Liszt’s 1st piano concerto that were performed in Mumbai for the first time. One of the major highlights of the 10-day event was the performance by 238 children who played the violin along with renowned virtuoso Dmitry Sitkovetsky and Marat. The kids were between the age group of five and nine and were trained under the Suzuki method started by the NCPA.
Marat, the brain behind the initiative, says, “This practice originated in Japan in the early ’60s when the nation was experiencing economic growth. Today, India is undergoing a similar phase so the method is designed to introduce middle-class Indian children to Western classical music. Suzuki is a professional method of training kids to learn a musical instrument, recognising their talent and then honing their skills to pursue it professionally. It is beneficial for their intellectual and spiritual growth.”
Suntook couldn’t agree more. He says, “It has multiple rewards that far outweigh the challenges. Opening a child’s ears to music and providing a performance platform does wonders for individuality, brain function, motor function and confidence, which remain with them even if they give up the instrument.”
Apart from this, Suntook and Marat also have several plans to promote SOI on a global level. Marat says, “The concluding day of the concert on February 26 is crucial for us as the Alliance of Asian Pacific Regional Directors will watch our performance. Apart from displaying our talent, it will be an opportunity for us to market ourselves to these leading promoters, tour internationally and make SOI India’s first world class symphony orchestra.”
The SOI, which made its international debut in Moscow last year, will also be touring Singapore and China soon. Suntook says, “We are getting a number of offers to tour internationally and are evaluating these in terms of feasibility and availability of time. Since the SOI seasons and orchestra are becoming popular, international tours will become a constant feature.”
The duo also aims to create more educational opportunities about Western classical music in India. “We are hoping for government support and aim to rope in specialists to teach music to Indians who will in turn train students. It’s sad that here parents prefer foreign teachers for their children. We want to change that practice and bring in more Indian teachers. We also want to provide professional education exclusively to seven to 10 kids that will be completely result-oriented,” concludes Marat.
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