A Multitudinous Harmony

For years now, the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) has nurtured India’s enthusiasm for Western classical music with the homegrown Symphony Orchestra of India. It has brought to India grand opera productions and renowned conductors and soloists from around the world.   

A musical extravaganza is in store for the country this August when Maestro Zubin Mehta arrives in Mumbai to conduct the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) in four concerts featuring the enchanting music of Richard Strauss and Johann Strauss. Maestro Mehta’s innate sense of musical architecture—attributed to his education in Vienna—is central to the music. After two memorable concerts last year when the celebrated conductor led the SOI for the first time and praised its fine quality comparable to any good ensemble the world over, Maestro Mehta’s return to the city of his birth has been highly anticipated.  

Maestro Zubin Mehta

With the SOI Autumn 2024 Season beginning on this high note, the momentum only gathers as the NCPA plays host to Plácido Domingo’s Operalia, the world’s most prestigious opera competition noted for discovering and establishing the careers of promising young opera singers. Operalia has travelled to 18 countries, taking the stage at prestigious institutions including Palais Garnier of Paris, Milan’s Teatro alla Scala and Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre. The 31st edition will be its India debut. To be held in Sep, the semi-finals, and finale of the competition—where Maestro Domingo will conduct the SOI—will be judged by an eminent panel.   

Excellent jazz is around the corner with NCPA Legends, featuring drummer Lenny White, bassist Buster Williams and jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut. The trio, with a combined number of five Grammy Awards under their belt, will give their maiden performance in India at the Tata Theatre in July.  

Buster William, Lenny White and Cyrus Chestnut

Mumbai Piano Day, an annual celebration bringing together some of the finest pianists and keyboard players from different genres—from classical to jazz—is scheduled to take place in Sep. It is curated by composer and keyboardist Louiz Banks and the NCPA.  

This diversity is central to NCPA’s curation. “The finest artistic minds—our genre heads and members of the council and various genre-specific committees—guide the NCPA in the endeavour of curating such programmes which is a joyous yet painstaking process. It involves navigating logistical and financial stumbling blocks, but the idea is to never compromise on quality,” says Mr. Khushroo N. Suntook, Chairman, NCPA. 

Thematically curated Indian music festivals are attended in large numbers, showcasing the NCPA’s commitment to presenting the wide spectrum of Indian music, including classical, semi-classical, devotional, and folk music. NCPA Bandish: A Tribute to Legendary Indian Composers is an annual three-day festival and the 2024 edition will feature compositions spanning genres and eras of music and include works of Tansen, Jasraj, Naushad Ali, Madan Mohan and other renowned poets and composers. They will be presented by Umakant Gundecha and Anant Gundecha, Sanjeev Abhyankar, Malini Awasthi and Uttam Singh this Aug.   

Umakant Gundecha and Anant Gundecha

Violinist Uttam Singh

The month of August is incomplete without the annual August Dance Residency. This year, the NCPA has invited Kerala Kalamandalam, a revered public institution preserving the artistic heritage of Kerala, a South Indian state. The residency will host workshops, lecture demonstrations and the performance of one of the most intricate and challenging stories from the Kathakali repertoire—Subhadraharanam—accompanied by surtitles.   

August Dance Residency 2024 featuring Kerala Kalamandalam

For more than five decades, the NCPA has been an epicentre of dance activity. While cultivating a rich culture of tradition, the centre has played an important role in continuing the unbroken thread of the evolution of dance by bringing artistes who push the boundaries. One such pivotal presence has been that of Aditi Mangaldas, who will bring alive Lost in the Forest, a blend of Kathak and Contemporary. After the 2021 online premiere during the pandemic, the production will be performed onstage for the first time this Aug. Mangaldas has consistently broken new ground by using Kathak as a springboard to evolve a contemporary dance vocabulary. Another fine performance is in store in Aug. Known for her impeccable technique and storytelling, noted dancer Malavika Sarukkai will weave together narratives from Indian mythology with Bharatanatyam’s intricate footwork and expressive gestures.   

‘Lost in the Forest’ by Aditi Mangaldas

The NCPA places great importance on education, whether it is for artistes or young minds entering the world of performing arts. An online workshop by Sudhir Nayak, open to participants around the world, will explore the art of accompaniment on harmonium in the context of Hindustani vocal music in July. Accompanied by vocalist Rutuja Lad and tabla player Vighnesh Kamath, it will be followed by a Q&A session.  

The NCPA Summer Fiesta has been treating Mumbai’s young minds during the summer break with workshops, plays, screenings, puppet theatre and more. This July, the Sanctuary Nature Foundation will return as a collaborator to feature photo exhibitions, art installations and creative contests around their Save the Tiger campaign to sensitise children to climate change and their role in protecting the environment.   

The NCPA’s production of Caryl Churchill’s pertinent play Love and Information which intrigued audiences with over 100 characters played by 11 actors in 50 staccato scenes returns this Aug in a three-day run. A script that grapples with a world oversaturated with information, it has been brought to life on the Indian stage by award-winning director Mohit Takalkar. 

Love and Information