A degree in music education is more than just a ticket to teaching music in a classroom. It opens doors to a variety of rewarding careers, blending passion for music with diverse professional opportunities. Whether you dream of conducting an orchestra, becoming a music therapist, or diving into music technology, a music education degree provides a solid foundation. In this article, we explore the numerous paths you can take with a music education degree. Traditional Careers in Education K-12 Music Teacher One of the most common career paths for music education graduates is becoming a K-12 musi ..read more

The Strings of Hope Concert Tour Project builds on previous musical projects that have taken the school’s string orchestra on tour of the local towns and metro cities of India as well as put the choral program of the school into the limelight. This project was designed to further that initiative. The goal of the concert tour was to boost musical confidence in students, nurture performers, empower them with collaborative and professional experiences and fill them with hope for a future of possibilities and beauty. The Concert Tour in 4 Hill towns of Darjeeling, Gangtok, Kurseong, Kalimpong and ..read more

Martin Graff’s musical journey is a testament to the power of passion, resilience, and creativity. Starting as a self-taught pianist at the tender age of four, Martin’s unique approach to music set him on a path of discovery and innovation. After a seventeen-year hiatus, Martin returned to the piano, bringing with him a wealth of life experience and a renewed sense of purpose. In this interview, Martin shares his early experiences, the challenges and triumphs of his return to music, and the inspirations behind his multifaceted artistic endeavours. Serenade Team: Martin, you started playing the ..read more

This month marked the 150th anniversary of the first performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem. The premiere, led by the composer, took place on May 22, 1874 at the Church of San Marco in Milan, and was followed by subsequent performances at La Scala and in Paris. Powerfully dramatic, Verdi’s Requiem is liturgy through the lens of opera. Scored for four vocal soloists (soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, and bass), double chorus, and orchestra, it is music conceived for the concert hall rather than the church. Verdi, the composer of 28 operas, and by all accounts an agnostic, presents the Latin Mass ..read more

Operalia Winners, and now much sought-after singers in the operatic world, Angel Blue, Maria Mudryak and Giordano Lucà have all performed at the NCPA to much acclaim. We take a look at the career trajectories of these artistes. Giordano Lucà, tenor – Italy La Bohème Revisited – SOI Spring 2017 Season Winner of the second prize at Operalia 2010, held in Teatro alla Scala, Milan Giordano Lucà began his singing career when he was only 12 and by the time he was 16, he had already been flagged as an artiste of remarkable talent. Born in Rome in 1988, he was first noticed by soprano Katia Ricciarel ..read more

Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony premiered in Vienna in May 1824. Two centuries later, it remains a powerful and enduring work. “Sing that song from Germany,” my cousins would say to me over the phone when I was a little boy of four, just arrived in Goa with my family from what was then West Germany in 1970. The “song” was the ‘Ode to Joy’ in the original German from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony that our father taught his two sons. We learned the lyrics by rote and sang it as if it were another nursery rhyme. So began my fascination with Beethoven’s crowning masterpiece that persists to this day. By 1 ..read more

I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the recently-concluded ‘In/Of Goa: Souza at 100’ an exhibition of the artworks of the celebrated Goan artist Francis Newton Souza (1924-2002) on the occasion of his birth centenary at Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts. The exhibition aimed “to shed light on the profound influence of Goa, Souza’s birthplace, on his artistic journey” and it succeeded well in that objective. One work that seemed almost an outlier of sorts was an A3-sized pen-and-ink drawing titled simply ‘Igor Stravinsky’ and signed ‘Souza 56.’ The collection had loads of nudes, of course, and sel ..read more

Norman Carol, the legendary American violinist and concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra from 1966 to 1994, passed away on April 28 in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. He was 95. Born in Philadelphia to Russian immigrant parents, Carol began playing the violin at age six, and performed his first concert at nine. Following initial studies with Sascha Jacobinoff, he entered the Curtis Institute of Music at 13, where he was a student of Efrem Zimbalist. Serge Koussevitzky heard the 17-year-old Carol perform Édouard Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole with the Tanglewood Orchestra, and invited him to join th ..read more

In a world filled with noise and distractions, the simple act of learning to play a musical instrument stands out as a powerful tool for personal growth and enrichment. Beyond the joy of creating beautiful melodies, learning an instrument offers a plethora of cognitive, emotional, and social benefits that can positively impact every aspect of our lives. In this article, we’ll delve into the multifaceted advantages of learning an instrument, exploring why it’s a pursuit worth embracing for individuals of all ages and backgrounds. The Cognitive Benefits Learning to play an instrument is akin to ..read more

Educational initiatives and outreach programmes feature as prominently on the SOI’s calendar as performances. We take a closer look at two recent collaborations focused on appreciation of Western classical music and developing musical potential among the youth. When the Symphony Orchestra of India was founded by NCPA Chairman Mr. Khushroo N. Suntook and violin virtuoso Marat Bisengaliev back in 2006, there was no such orchestra in existence in the country. Then, the SOI Music Academy was established in 2012 to impart an advanced level of education in Western classical music, conspicuously abse ..read more