MUMBAI: The National Centre for the Performing Arts, India's premier arts and culture institution, today announced its partnership with Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival to present talent from around the world in a unique initiative called Beyond Borders: Global Music Fusion Concerts. These concerts will provide a platform to artistes from across the globe performing various styles of music ranging from Carnatic, Hindustani, Jazz, Rock, Western Classical, Orchestral, Indian Folk, Ghazals and Bollywood. The announcement was made at the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre at the NCPA by Mr. Khushroo Suntook, Chairman NCPA in the presence of Dr Rao from NCPA and dignitaries Dr L Subramaniam and Mrs. Kavita Krishnamurti Subramaniam.
The NCPA and Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival have collaborated for a three-year period to bring performers of diverse traditions together on one platform. The NCPA is the only Centre in India known for hosting international performances, orchestras and operas. With this collaboration, the NCPA aims to break borders and demonstrate how music can indeed be a unifying force that can bring together artistes across different traditions.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Khushroo Suntook, Chairman NCPA said, "We are very happy to collaborate with Dr Subramaniam and the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival. Being a national centre for the performing arts, our objective is to promote and present all styles of music from across the globe - from classical to contemporary; from codified to experimental. Artistic excellence needs to be encouraged and promoted. At the NCPA, we ensure that such performances are presented in their full glory in the fine spaces here."
Beyond Borders: Global Music Fusion Concert, which commences in January 2010 at the NCPA, has been created by Dr L. Subramaniam, one of the greatest violinists in the world. The NCPA, along with the 'The God of Indian Violin' as Dr L Subramaniam is often referred to, will be bringing for the first time to India one of the finest saxophone players of our times, Ernie Watts, along with the sensational blues harmonica master-Corky Siegel. Also, participating in the concert will be Bollywood melody queen, Kavita Krishnamurti Subramaniam. The performance will take place at Jamshed Bhabha Theatre at NCPA, on January 7, 2010, at 7.00pm.
Taking immense pride in announcing the historic collaboration between the two eminent organisations - the NCPA and Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival, Dr. Suvarnalata Rao - Head Programming (Indian Music), NCPA, said, "This idea was mooted by the NCPA, when we contacted Mr Subramaniam to do a show for us under the title 'Beyond Borders'." Speaking about the concert itself, Dr Rao was thrilled with the lineup. "This is a mega star collaboration. Dr Subramaniam is a composer par excellence. And here, the challenge is to connect artistes from another idiom to create a unique musical experience."
Expressing his passion for performing at NCPA, Dr. L. Subramaniam discussed about the challenge of composing and writing for such concerts. He mentioned that this concert is the result of extensive research and knowledge.
Dr L Subramaniam said, "Our last concert at the NCPA last year was one of my most memorable concerts. The public interest and audience turnout was outstanding. So this year when the NCPA proposed this collaboration, we were more than happy to partner with them." Dr Subramaniam also expressed his objective for bringing the festival to the NCPA. "The NCPA is a venue par excellence and the theaters here can be compared to the best theatres and performing spaces in Europe. The NCPA also offers a passionate 'audience' for fusion music. I'm really keen on this event, which is an interesting challenge as it involves writing for saxophone, harmonica, the Indian voice (Kavita's) and the violin and combining these with Indian percussion, while bringing the best out of each - as these instruments have their own tonalities and strengths."
Kavita Krishnamurti Subramanian said, "I really admire the NCPA for its efficiency and the variety in its programming. I used to come to the NCPA as a young struggling singer to train and even then, as now, the NCPA has been a hub for artists at all levels. Today, I take immense pride in the fact that my husband's festival is a part of the NCPA."
Beyond Borders: Global Music Fusion - Programme line-up includes:
About the Artistes:
Dr. L. Subramaniam, with his roots in Carnatic music, is a pioneer of Indo-Jazz fusion and the creator of the concept of Global Fusion. Some of his most historic collaborations have been with Yehudi Menuhin, Stephane Grappelli, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Ruggiero Ricci, Herbie Hancock, among others. With over 200 recordings to his name, L. Subramaniam's fusion pieces, `Conversations' and `Flight of the Humble Bee', and orchestral compositions, like 'Fantasy on Vedic Chants', have become milestones.
Corky Siegel has earned an international reputation as one of the world's great blues harmonica masters. He is a composer, blues pianist, and singer/ songwriter. His performances as soloist with orchestras and ballets worldwide, and his collaborations in bringing a ground-breaking blues-classical sound to national attention, offer a glimpse of his talents.
Ernie Watts is an American jazz and rhythm and blues musician. He plays the saxophone (tenor, alto and soprano) and flute. He is best known for his work with Charlie Haden's 'Quartet West' and his Grammy Awards as an instrumentalist.
Kavita Krishnamurti is a melody queen of Bollywood with numerous hits to her name and she has sung with orchestras as a soloist, collaborated with Western artists of all backgrounds and sung ghazals and devotionals songs, Indi-Pop and classical jugalbandis in her career spanning more than two decades.