Bringing in the Season at NCPA Mumbai

A quarter marked by educational initiatives and upgradation projects draws to a close only to bring in the most exciting time of the year at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai. Keenly awaited annual festivals and a spectacular season line-up await our audiences.  

By Aishwarya Bodke 

The stage is set at the NCPA for brilliant performances and innovative productions as we welcome maestros to our theatres. With a packed calendar, the next quarter has much in store for art-loving audiences.   

“New and innovative work by Indian and international artistes of repute has been our remit as much as the preservation of our artistic heritage. Opera companies and the best of soloists have been regularly invited to the NCPA. Recently, celebrated dancer Akram Khan gave the final performances of his solo work on our stage. It is a privilege that artistes of the calibre of Zubin Mehta, and our stars, Zakir Hussain and Niladri Kumar, have planned several interesting concerts during this season,” says Mr. Khushroo N. Suntook, Chairman, NCPA.  

The legendary Maestro Mehta, Music Director Emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and former Music Director of the New York Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, will conduct the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) in two concerts at the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre this August. With works of Mozart, Schubert and Mahler, the concerts, presented by the NCPA and the Mehli Mehta Music Foundation, are highly anticipated.  

Maestro Zubin Mehta will perform with the SOI this August

In the SOI, India has its first and only professional orchestra. Every season is a promise to bring the finest performances and international artistes and broaden the scope of Western classical music in India. The SOI Autumn 2023 Season goes above and beyond. “The programme for the busy orchestral season ahead is rather unusual, in that it includes not only great soloists but also works never performed before in India,” Mr. Suntook elaborates. 

Conductor Zane Dalal returns to the NCPA stage and will open the season along with SOI Music Director Marat Bisengaliev on the violin. The season also features Conductor Richard Farnes, pianist Pavel Kolesnikov and cellist Steven Isserlis performing the works of Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Rossini, Shostakovich, and more. Conductor Alpesh Chauhan OBE will close the season alongside tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain, who will perform his Triple Concerto, with Niladri Kumar on sitar and Rakesh Chaurasia on bansuri. It will surely be a season to remember.  

Conductor Zane Dalal will open the SOI Autumn 2023 Season

Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain

Another happy announcement is of the SOI’s U.K. tour, our first international tour in three years. The orchestra will perform at prestigious venues in London, Edinburgh and Birmingham, among many others during the first 10 days of December.  

The upcoming quarter brings stellar performances in Indian music. Vivekanand, a musical mono-act, is conceptualised, written and presented by celebrated singer, composer, lyricist and actor, Shekhar Sen, who is internationally known for his super-hit mono-act musical plays such as Tulsidas, Kabir and Soordas. With 32 song sequences, this well-crafted presentation brings home the global impact of Vivekananda’s unforgettable speech at the first World’s Parliament of Religions in 1893 in Chicago.  

NCPA Bandish: A Tribute to Legendary Indian Composers is an annual three-day festival showcasing compositions and their evolving nature across musical forms. While eminent vocalists Rashid Khan and Ajay Pohankar will bring to the fore the improvisational aspect of classical compositions, Pankaj Udhas will present a bouquet of ghazals, featuring the poetry of Mirza Ghalib as well as contemporary wordsmiths, such as Nida Fazli and Gulzar. Playback singer Kavita Krishnamurti Subramaniam will pay tribute to the iconic Lata Mangeshkar.  

Playback singer Kavita Krishnamurti Subramaniam will pay tribute to the iconic Lata Mangeshkar at NCPA Bandish

Dance lovers will also be treated to a riveting presentation featuring evergreen melodies of Mangeshkar, performed onstage by the classical dancers of Mumbai.  

The month of August is incomplete without NCPA’s August Dance Residency, where we celebrate a dance institution. This year features Bharata Kalanjali. Located in Chennai, it is led by famed Bharatanatyam and Kathakali exponents Shantha and V. P. Dhananjayan. They will showcase Smriti Patham, a journey through five decades of their artistic lives and extraordinary work, followed by a two-day workshop.  

Bharatanatyam and Kathakali exponents Shantha and V. P. Dhananjayan

The NCPA places the utmost importance on artistic collaboration that bridges geographical barriers, bringing cultures together. Ahuti is a collaboration between Nrityagram Dance Ensemble from India and the Chitrasena Dance Company from Sri Lanka, to be presented in August. The production, an NCPA presentation in collaboration with Sahachari Foundation Events, seamlessly blends the beauty of Odissi and Sri Lanka’s native dance styles with contemporary dance, set to the rhythms from both countries, and supported by a live orchestra. 

Music, too, knows no borders. Converging Streams is a concert celebrating world music and fusion where Hindustani and Carnatic music meld with Western music styles such as samba and bossa nova. Ranjit Barot will lead the concert in September, taking the audience on a musical world tour. Another highlight is the much-anticipated Mumbai Piano Day held in September, where the finest pianists and keyboardists from India and around the world will come together for an event founded by the NCPA and Louiz Banks. 

The NCPA is devoted to nourishing the gift of the arts for future generations. For over 10 years, the NCPA Summer Fiesta has been giving fantastic arts and cultural experiences to Mumbai’s young minds during the summer break with workshops, plays, screenings and more. The 2023 edition wraps up in July. Tinkle, National Theatre Live, Sanctuary Asia and the Metropolitan Opera are some of our partners, helping us create experiences that build confidence and encourage self-expression among participants.  

The Wunderkinds offers a platform to young voices with carefully crafted performances of dedicated musicians between the ages of 8 and 21. After a successful show in 2022, the Wunderkinds are ready to take the audiences on a journey across several music genres and vocalese, including R&B, Latin, Pop and Rock.