Last year, when Priya Radhakrishnan told her parents — both doctors in Bengaluru — that she wanted to pursue a career in music, their reaction was a bit of a surprise. They agreed! Today, the 20-year-old is studying vocal performance and music business at University College Oxford. When she graduates, she will have several options, including using her skills as a soprano on stage — like Julia Bullock, who has become composer John Adams’ “muse” — or diversifying into mainstream music, like Chennai-born singer Harini S Raghavan, who trained at Berklee College of Music, has collaborated with AR Rahman, and tours the world with her band.
Radhakrishnan’s is not an isolated case, says her music teacher Sandra Oberoi, who has been with city-based Harmony School of Music for the past decade. Western classical music is slowly gaining popularity and a career is being seen as worth any perceived risk, especially after 19-year-old Sheku Kanneh-Mason shot to international fame recently, with his performance at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in May.
- Euphony: A digital platform that uses signal processing and machine learning algorithms to evaluate singing proficiency. The app, by Mumbai-based SensiBol Audio Technologies, is currently in beta stage on iOS.
- Serenade: The portal, started by London-based pianist Nikhil Sardana three years ago, compiles the latest in western classical music. It makes the genre accessible for new listeners, while catering to aficionados. Visit serenademagazine.com.
- Introduction to Classical Music: Learn the basics with Yale University’s course, Introduction to Classical Music, which starts on September 10. Sign up for free on Coursera, but for certification the fee is ₹1,991.
Music and the millennial
India’s interest in the genre is not new — the Trinity College music exams have been held here for over 120 years. But for audiences, it is a different story. It is often the exclusivity attached to the genre that catches their attention. Four years ago, when the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra played in Chennai, there were more heated discussions on what outfits would qualify for the black tie event, than the music. And with hardly any support and/or interest in such performances, save the odd concert by a visiting maestro, shows have been few and far between.
Our first, and only, professional orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI), was started just 12 years ago. But as SOI’s Autumn concerts kick off at the NCPA, Mumbai, on Tuesday, Zane Dalal, its Associate Music Director, says he is hopeful. He is seeing an increase in the number of people interested in western classical now (they perform twice a year to packed auditoriums), for which he credits globalisation and well-travelled millennials open to new experiences. “Social media and accessibility to recordings have also played a part. Even (Amazon Prime) shows like Mozart in the Jungle have exposed more people to the genre.”
Anil Srinivasan
Changing the rules
Chennai-based pianist Anil Srinivasan says it all comes down to educating the public. He has often tweaked his act to make the music accessible — from a performance in the Madras Riding School paddocks a few years ago to a 90-minute presentation during last year’s Margazhi season, where he, along with guitarist Prasanna, took the audience through film and Carnatic music to the Blues.
- The lack of performance spaces is a challenge — there are hardly any concert halls in India with pianos, and newer spaces are often not acoustically sound for instrumental performances. But the rise in sales of music instruments is heartening. Das picks the top sellers.
- Guitar
- Ibanez: The Japanese guitar brand is favoured by beginners. ₹4,000 to ₹7,000
- Fender: A classic favourite. ₹7,500 to ₹50,000
- Alhambra: These acoustic guitars are handcrafted in Spain. ₹1 lakh to ₹3 lakh
- Piano
- Steiner: This Korean brand is a great entry-level choice. ₹3.5 lakh
- Kawai: Good mid-range pianos, but not marketed well in India. ₹11 lakh
- Steinway: The Rolls-Royce of grand pianos. From ₹65 lakh to ₹70 lakh
- Drums
- While unbranded Chinese-make drum kits for beginners start from ₹20,000, the ones from Tama, Pearl and Yamaha range between ₹40,000 and ₹5 lakh
Another initiative: the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra concerts streamed at the various Goethe-Instituts across the country. In Chennai, Srinivasan introduces each session. “I explain a bit of history about the piece, the instruments to watch out for, etc,” says the musician, who is planning a class on the appreciation of western classical music later this month. He is also working on a series of videos with Casio.
Meanwhile, pianist Brian Silas, who runs an eponymous school for instrumental music in New Delhi, says that though audience engagement might be lesser than that for Indian classical music, the number of students is growing. “You can see it by the sheer volume of pianos that are being sold in the country now. We have to import from Indonesia and Korea to meet the demand,” says Silas, who will be performing at Chennai’s ITC Grand Chola next weekend as part of their WelcomArt series of concerts.
Under pressure
While there are many schools for western classical music across India, they come with inherent flaws. Classes geared to impress examiners are creating rigid performers, with scarcely any room for innovation. Sachin Das, president of Chennai’s Musée Musical, one of India’s oldest retailers of musical instruments, believes the need of the hour is to up-skill teachers. “We are working on ways to invest in teacher training through workshops, and are in talks with brands like Yamaha to offer such opportunities.” Similar initiatives are being undertaken by Mumbai-based Tanuja Gomes, of Furtados School of Music, who is partnering with Berklee India Exchange to bring down their workshops, and by Shillong-based pianist-composer Pauline Warjri, who is working on training teachers in a more organic way of teaching.
Roshni Reddy, head of Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music, Chennai, which focusses on contemporary music, says students are recognising the problem, too, especially when they opt for higher studies abroad. “There is a lot of unlearning that they have to do when they set out as musicians in their own right,” she explains. So at Swarnabhoomi, they ensure their rotating faculty — which has included renowned pianist Jordan Rudess, guitarist Rotem Sivan and drummer David Anderson — help bridge the gap.
Contemporary makeover
Sahil Vasudeva’s Un-Recital show
To Srinivasan, promoting western classical is all about the packaging. “Young musicians should be able to play within the tenets of the genre, to make it appealing and relatable,” he says. Like Delhi-based pianist Sahil Vasudeva, who has taken the instrument out of the concert hall with his ‘Un-Recitals’. In his attempt to make classical music accessible and young — “after all, why should anybody sitting in Delhi in 2018 care about what was going on in music in 18th century Europe?” he stated in an interview with GQ magazine — he incorporates film and theatrical elements in his performances of Debussy or Chopin. Asad Lalljee, curatorial head of Royal Opera House Mumbai, recalls how at Vasudeva’s last show in June, the “older, traditional audiences were a bit taken aback, but the youngsters thoroughly enjoyed his take”.
Such experiments are going a long way in bringing in fresh talent. Alisha Thaayil had succumbed to her parents’ wishes and opted for an MNC job, but the youngster from Kerala refused to give up on her talent. “I continued to go for classes and when I topped my exams in classical singing, it was all the convincing my parents needed,” she says. Now the 26-year-old is studying Vocal Pedagogy at the London College of Music. “I hope to come back and teach music the way it is meant to be,” she concludes.
