NCPA Mumbai Reopens with Renewed Vigour

Mirth, gasps of awe and rapturous applause filled the air as the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai, reopened with music, drama and dance presentations over five evenings. The exhilaration on either side of the stage proved yet again that there can no parallel to a live performance.  

A theatre thrives on the energy that emanates from the unspoken exchange between the artiste and the audience. And the vitality returned to the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai (NCPA) after a year and a half as it reopened in October 2021. Spread over five evenings, the celebration saw each genre at the NCPA — Indian Music, Western Classical Music, International Music, Dance and Theatre — stage a stellar performance to welcome artistes and audiences back.  

Extensive planning and preparation went into making the theatre safe and enjoyable for the patrons.

As the silence of the auditorium gave way to powerful dialogues, delicate pizzicati, the sound of ghunghroos, nostalgic pop and rock tunes, and the sarangi in mesmeric dialogue with the human voice, the poignancy of the occasion was not lost. NCPA Chairman Mr. Khushroo N. Suntook said in his speech at the reopening, “To have suddenly stopped in March 2020 has indeed been a challenge for all of us here and the entire world. Covid-19 has brought so many lives to a standstill, and none more than of those working in the performing arts. A matter of pride for us is the loyalty and camaraderie that exists between all our employees at the NCPA and our musicians and artistes, and we take special pride that we were able to retain all our musicians throughout this period which saw the dissolution and disbanding of so many great ensembles and organisations all through the artistic world… The sight of forlorn spaces these past nineteen months will only strengthen our determination to emerge stronger and give you even better results than before.” 

NCPA Chairman Mr. Khushroo N. Suntook addresses the audience on the reopening night.

Blast from the Past, an evening of classic hits, featured Grammy-nominated jazz pianist keyboardist and composer, Louiz Banks, Gino Banks, Thomson Andrews, Trisha Rego, Kesang Alexander, Kush Upadhyay, Sheldon D’Silva and Rahul Jhunjhunwala.

The SOI Chamber Orchestra concert was conducted by Music Director and violin virtuoso Marat Bisengaliev.

A lot has indeed been planned and curated in the intervening months. The upcoming programmes, seasons and festivals from January to March 2022 are a culmination of that:  

January 2022 

• The second concert under the CITI-NCPA Aadi Anant: From Here to Eternity series will feature eminent Carnatic vocalist, author and public intellectual T. M. Krishna, supported by Akkarai Subhalakshmi (violin), Praveen Sparsh (mridangam) and Anirudh Athreya (kanjira). Unhinged from the conventional performative obligations, this recital will focus on the aspect of improvisation, which is at the heart of Indian art music traditions (8 January – 6.30pm).
• NCPA-CITI Music Workshop – Understanding Intricacies of the Nadsadhana. An online workshop for vocalists by internationally acclaimed exponent of dhrupad, Uday Bhawalkar, followed by Q&A session. The session will focus on techniques and exercises used to develop breath control, and the range, resonance and strength of voice (15 January – 11.30am).
• Artie’s Festival India  – Government guidelines and travel restrictions permitting, the Artie’s Festival India will return to the NCPA after almost two years with a stellar line-up of musicians performing masterworks of the chamber music repertoire. For over a decade, the Artie’s chamber ensembles have delivered remarkable performances of chamber music to audiences in India twice a year (18 and 19 January – 7pm).
• The third concert in the CITI-NCPA Aadi Anant: From Here to Eternity series is the Song of the Himalayas, conceptualised and composed by Shantanu Moitra, featuring Kaushiki Chakraborty, Ani Choying, Ashwin Srinivasan, Ambi Subramaniam and others. Song of the Himalayas springs from Moitra’s journey across the Himalayas (22 January – 6.30pm).
• The NCPA will relaunch the Pratibimb Marathi Natya Utsav in January 2022. The Marathi theatre festival reflects the vibrant tradition of theatre in Maharashtra known for its thought-provoking themes. Plays, readings and discussions by the best names in contemporary Marathi theatre are part of this three-day celebration from 21 – 23 January.  

The second concert under the ‘CITI-NCPA Aadi Anant: From Here to Eternity’ series will feature eminent Carnatic vocalist and author T. M. Krishna.

February 2022 

• A truly rich SOI Spring 2022 Season has been planned with American conductor John Axelrod and Russian pianist Pavel Kolesnikov making their India debut with the Symphony Orchestra of India, the country’s first and only professional orchestra, founded by NCPA Chairman Khushroo N. Suntook and violin virtuoso Marat Bisengaliev. The season also marks the return of noted Irish pianist Barry Douglas. The spring season will feature three concerts and two recitals between 10 and 25 February with a programme including works such as Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini, Brahms’ Variations on a theme by Haydn, Schumann’s Symphony No. 4 and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 9. 
• Spectrum – A Festival of Dances from Around the World – The festival will showcase folk, bollywood  and marshall dance performances (3 February – 11 February – 6.30pm)
• NCPA Bandish  – A Tribute to Legendary Indian Composers (Supported by HSBC India)
  • The two-day event will showcase treasured works of great composers of Indian music, presented by eminent artistes.
  • 5 February – Ghulam Husnain Khan (Raja Miyan) / Ashwini Bhide Deshpande
  • 6 February – Gulzar / Ajoy Chakrabarty 

The production, Anubandh – Relationships, is award-winning Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer Malavika Sarukkai’s response to the pandemic.

March 2022 

• Anubandh – Relationships by Malavika Sarukkai (Principal Sponsor: Titan Company Ltd)
• • The production is the award-winning Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer’s response to the pandemic. We learnt that for planet Earth to survive, we were urgently required to build sustainable relationships, both personal and collective. Anubandh seeks to reclaim our relationships with the Sun and the Moon, primary forces that nurture life.  
  • 12 March – 6.30pm