Milestones, Music and More at the NCPA

Intro: With annual festivals and series celebrating India’s rich artistic heritage, a grand season to mark 20 years of the Symphony of India, world-renowned names in jazz and innovative work in theatre and visual arts, the NCPA brings to its stage the best from around India and the world.
By Nidhi Lodaya

It is the year of a momentous milestone at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai as it celebrates 20 years of the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) with the upcoming Autumn 2026 Season in Aug. Last season, the orchestra launched its Beethoven symphonic cycle leading up to the 200^th death anniversary of the German musical genius. This season, the SOI performs Beethoven’s Second and Eighth symphonies in a fortnight that promises to be one of remarkable music-making. “Preparations for our 37th season are now gathering pace. It is a significant occasion, for 20 years ago, the idea of a professional symphony orchestra in India was still inconceivable to many. Since 2006, Mumbai has had two orchestral seasons every year by the SOI, joined by top-drawer conductors and soloists,” says Mr. Khushroo N. Suntook, Chairman, NCPA. He co-founded the SOI with violin virtuoso Marat Bisengaliev.

(Clockwise from above) Clarinettist Annelien Van Wauwe, and conductors Alessandro Bonato & Martyn Brabbins

(left) Cheng² Duo, Bryan and Silvie Cheng (Credit-Andrej Grilc), Francesca Dego & Francesca Leonardi

This is the second season under the baton of Martyn Brabbins, former Music Director of the English National Opera, appointed Chief Conductor of the SOI earlier this year. Alessandro Bonato, a much sought-after Italian conductor of the younger generation, makes his India debut with the SOI, as do Belgian clarinetist Annelien Van Wauwe and Italian violinist Francesca Dego, both critically acclaimed musicians. In addition to her orchestral concert, Dego will give a recital with pianist Francesca Leonardi, her collaborator of over 22 years. Prize-winning cellist Bryan Cheng returns to the NCPA after his memorable 2024 debut. He will also give a recital with his sister and pianist Silvie Cheng as the Cheng² Duo.

NCPA HSBC Bandish (from left) Padma Talwalkar, Jayteerth Mevundi, Sourendro & Soumyojit and Hariharan

The annual festival, NCPA HSBC Bandish, held in Aug, is a much-anticipated event on the Indian music calendar of Mumbai. It features eminent artistes who present select compositions spanning wide-ranging genres of Indian music and pay tribute to legendary composers. The line-up this year includes Jayateerth Mevundi presenting compositions by the 18^th-century musician Na’mat Khan alias Sadarang who was revered in the court of Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah ‘Rangila’, Ramashreya Jha alias Ramrang, who was prominent in the early 20^th century, and Abdul Karim Khan, the founder of the Kirana gharana of Hindustani classical music; Padma Talwalkar presenting works by Sadarang and Jagannathbua Purohit alias Gunidas whose compositions are considered a chiselled piece of art; Hariharan presenting ghazals composed by Mehdi Hassan, Ghulam Qadir Khan and Nazar Hussain whose contribution to the poetic genre moved listeners across South Asia; Sourendro-Soumyojit & group will be ending the three-day festival with film songs by noted music directors such as K. L. Saigal, S. D. Burman, Naushad, Salil Chowdhury, Shankar-Jaikishan, R. D. Burman as well as the more contemporary A. R. Rahman, Pritam and others.

(Clockwise from top left) Fadista Sonia Shirsat and fado musicians Greg Banaszak, Theron Brown & Chris Anderson

The annual Con Brio competition-festival, in collaboration with Furtados, is slated for the month of Jul. With Flora and Fauna as the theme this year, the aim is to explore how music acts as a mirror and a window to the natural world. In Aug, renowned fadista Sonia Shirsat will be bringing Fado, a traditional Portuguese music genre, to the NCPA, followed by a talk on how it became the voice of the people on the streets of Lisbon telling stories of fate, love and loss. US-based Greg Banaszak Trio, known for a repertoire in honour of the founders and architects of bebop, will set a jazzy tone for an evening this August.

As the theatre department starts to wrap up their annual Summer Fiesta for children—one of the most successful editions so far—it prepares to open its doors for the fourth edition of Culture Con 2026. This two-day conference in August brings India’s creative industry under one roof, where artistes, designers, writers, filmmakers and creative entrepreneurs share insights on how to navigate the industry.

After the premiere of Ariel Dorfman’s Death and the Maiden, which ran to a packed house on all four nights, the NCPA production returns for its second run this Oct. The play has been directed by Bruce Guthrie, Head of Theatre & Films at the NCPA, who was recently honoured by the Royal Academy of Music, London, for his contribution to musical theatre.

Dr. Sonal Mansingh

Arts education has been intrinsic to the work of the NCPA. Across our six departments spanning the performing and visual arts, imparting training to young talent has been at the forefront. Free workshops in Indian music widen knowledge not only in the technical aspects of the field but also in the avenues adjacent to it, such as the architecture of concert halls, managing finances as a musician and more. The workshop in Jul by Dr. Ambi Subramaniam explores the role of the violin in Carnatic and crossover music. The annual August Dance Residency aims to celebrate premier dance institutions that have been the torchbearers of classical Indian dance. This year, the NCPA has invited renowned Bharatanatyam and Odissi maestro Dr. Sonal Mansingh and the Centre for Indian Classical Dances in New Delhi.

The Wunderkinds, a recurring annual series slated to be held in Sep, is immensely popular among budding musicians, aged eight to 21. They train under professionals in various genres such as rock, pop, jazz and funk, who make them stage-ready. Many of these gifted musicians have gone on to form their own bands after this intense training at the NCPA.

Moving beyond the performing arts, the Dilip Piramal Art Gallery, a pioneering photo gallery in the city, will showcase a new exhibition called Mänk’áčen which means the shadow hunter in Yahgan, a near-extinct language spoken by the Yahgan people of Chile and Argentina. Curated by researcher Sergio Valenzuela-Escobedo, it offers an innovative reflection on the history of photography and its cultural, scientific and spiritual implications.

As the NCPA prepares for an even busier end of the year, it continues to stay the course of preserving, presenting and promoting the arts true to India’s cultural diversity while bringing to its stage the best from around the world. “We have the responsibility of upholding our legacy while also building one for the future,” Mr. Suntook concludes.