NCPA Mumbai Curtain Up on Big Announcements
National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai (NCPA), gears up for a major international collaboration.
By Aishwarya Bodke
The Symphony Orchestra of India’s Spring 2024 Season was special for more reasons than one, for it opened with a big announcement. The NCPA is set to be the official host of Plácido Domingo’s Operalia, the world’s most prestigious opera competition. Having had its earlier editions at institutions like Palais Garnier of Paris, Milan’s Teatro alla Scala and Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre, the 2024 edition will be Operalia’s first venture in India. At a press conference held in Feb, Alvaro Domingo, Vice President, Operalia, was in Mumbai to represent his father’s association with the NCPA.
NCPA Chairman Khushroo N. Suntook with Alvaro Domingo, Vice President, Operalia at the press conference in Mumbai
“I have had the great pleasure of hearing Mr. Plácido Domingo over the last 30 or 40 years and he is, without doubt, one of the century’s greatest singers. It is an honour for the NCPA to associate with the great maestro and host his wonderful competition in September. Operalia 2024 will not only be a milestone for the NCPA but the music community of the country,” says Mr. Khushroo N. Suntook, Chairman, NCPA. Alvaro Domingo, who attended the opening concert of the season, commended the NCPA for the “fantastic job since 2006 in founding the orchestra and bringing it to where it is now.”
Audiences can look forward to an exciting line-up of artistes par excellence in the coming quarter. A highlight of the April calendar is the celebration of International Dance Day with the NCPA Mudra Dance Festival. The 2024 edition will celebrate the uniqueness of jewellery, textile and make-up used in Indian classical dance styles through the theme of Aharya. Kathak by Aditi Mangaldas, Odissi by Sujata Mohapatra and Manipuri by Latasena Devi are some of the highly anticipated performances. Workshops, talks and a special exhibition on the theme of textiles and weaves used in classical Indian dances make it a holistic engagement with dance all through the month of April.
Acclaimed Kathak dancer and choreographer Aditi Mangaldas performing at the 2024 NCPA Mudra Dance Festival
International Jazz Day, too, is a dazzling affair, with the iconic Tata Theatre turning into a haven for jazz lovers. Curated by jazz veteran Louis Banks, the concert will feature some of the finest musicians and singers in the country performing classics as well as fusion.
All that jazz finally leads us to the India debut of Eliane Elias in May. A Brazilian jazz pianist, singer and composer, Elias is a double Grammy award-winner and also has two Latin Grammy awards to her credit.
Grammy-winning Brazilian jazz pianist Eliane Elias
The next quarter will be a momentous one for theatre enthusiasts, beginning with Caryl Churchill’s Love and Information in April. The play challenges theatrical norms with its unconventional structure. Comprising over 50 scenes, some merely seconds long, it mirrors the rapid pace of channel-hopping or scrolling through social media, highlighting potential implications for relationships in an era dominated by instant gratification and short attention spans. Directed by Mohit Takalkar, the NCPA production will be the play’s first official outing in India.
The NCPA’s constant endeavour to embrace India’s theatrical heritage and the joys of regional theatre comes to fruition in May with the flagship festival Pratibimb Marathi Natya Utsav—a melange of readings, campus tours and talks with a line-up including popular as well as experimental Marathi plays, along with the premiere of the winning play of Darpan, a Marathi writing initiative launched by the NCPA. True to its name, Pratibimb is a reflection of the vibrant tradition of theatre in Maharashtra known for its thought-provoking themes.
The wealth of Indian cultural heritage has found a nurturing home at the NCPA since its inception. The subcontinent abounds in a variety of musical instruments with a display of considerable specialisation in usage. Saz-e-Bahar, the annual festival of Indian instrumental music, in its 11th edition will showcase four noted instrumentalists—Dr. Aneesh Pradhan (tabla), Milind Raikar (violin), M. Sivakumar (nadaswaram) and Manish Pingle (slide guitar). Pre-event talks on both the days of the festival will set the context for the instruments to be presented.
Tabla player Aneesh Pradhan
There is more to look forward to in the Indian music arena with a tribute to legendary vocalist Shobha Gurtu on her birth centenary. Performed by Rajashree Kelkar Pathak in April, the concert will include Gurtu’s masterpieces in forms like thumri, dadra and kajri, highlighting her inimitable mastery of semi-classical forms. For the 163rd birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, the NCPA will present a multimedia exploration of the folk melodies of the Nobel laureate, poet, composer and novelist, in association with the Tagore Centre for Indian Music and Culture. The programme features an influence of renditions of bauls, the wandering minstrels, with an undercurrent of raga-based melodies.
April is also a month that celebrates the Symphony Orchestra of India’s international collaborations. The Danish Chamber Players will play with the SOI Chamber Orchestra as conductor Maria Badstue returns to the NCPA, joined by soprano Indira Mahajan. The annual Artie’s Festival India is a collective of musicians brought together by a common passion for chamber music. Artie’s founder and cellist Gauthier Herrmann will perform this year along with violinists Pierre Fouchenneret and pianist Jean-Michel Dayez, among others.
SOI Chamber Orchestra conducted by Maria Badstue and Christina Bjørkøe piano. (Photo credit: Narendra Dangiya)
The NCPA is devoted to passing on the gift of the arts to future generations. For over 10 years, the NCPA Summer Fiesta has been treating Mumbai’s young minds during the summer break to workshops, plays, screenings and more. Tinkle, National Theatre Live, Sanctuary Asia and the Metropolitan Opera have been our partners, helping us create experiences that build confidence and encourage self-expression among participants.
In its first edition, Spring Board will provide a platform for up-and-coming musicians and catapult two young bands into the world of live performance. The SOI Music Academy has continued to impart masterly training in Western classical music since 2012. Every graduating class indicates the growing appetite for the genre in the country. The annual concert in April will feature soloists of the academy with the SOI Chamber Orchestra, SOI Music Academy Chorus and the percussion ensemble.
Spring Board