CLASSICAL MOVEMENTS LAUNCHES INDIA CHORAL FELLOWSHIP; KEVIN FOX FIRST RECIPIENT
Changing the Landscape of Choral Music in India
Having joined Classical Movements’ staff last month, we are delighted to announce that distinguished singer, conductor and educator Kevin Fox is the recipient of our inaugural India Choral Fellowship. Founding Artistic Director of the Grammy-winning Pacific Boychoir Academy, Mr. Fox will travel to India in late-January for a two-month conducting and teaching engagement in three cities: New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai.
Read Neeta Helms, Classical Movements’ Founder/President, on ICF here.
While in India, Mr. Fox will work with the following non-profit music and performing arts organizations:
NEW DELHI: Neemrana Foundation, Capital City Minstrels, Delhi Music Society/Delhi School of Music
Founded by French immigrant Francis Wacziarg as the charitable branch of his Neemrana Hotel Group, the Neemrana Foundation promotes and advocates for the development of Western Classical music in India through its workshops, after-school programs and opera productions. Since 2003, Neemrana has presented a wide range of operas: Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers, Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, a landmark cross-cultural production of Monteverdi’s Orfeo, subtitled “Crossing the Ganges.”
Kevin Fox will be assisting the Foundation with its youth educational programs — including a choir of boys sponsored by the Blind Relief Association — training choral teachers and working with the Foundation’s Opera Chorus for their upcoming production of Rossini’s Cenerentola.
Established in 1994, the Capital City Minstrels is an amateur choir based in New Delhi. Reflecting the international flair of India’s capital city, though, the ensemble’s members hail from a variety of countries, and the group has distinguished itself by presenting concerts at numerous embassies and cultural centers. CCM’s vast repertoire gives it a broad appeal, and the group enjoys well-attended concerts at venues around New Delhi and throughout India.
Mr. Fox visits Capital City Minstrels as a distinguished guest conductor, presenting a series of workshops for the ensemble.
Opened by the Delhi Music Society, the Delhi School of Music serves over 1300 students every year. Since its founding in 1966, DSM/DMS have been advocates and promoters of Western Classical music in Delhi, and the School is the only one of its kind in Northern India. Delhi School of Music alumni have gone on to distinguished careers in Europe and the United States.
Fox will lead workshops and masterclasses at the Delhi School of Music.
MUMBAI: Songbound, Mehli Mehta Music Foundation, National Centre for the Performing Arts
Songbound, established in 2012, is an outreach initiative that brings the transformative power of music to some of India’s poorest and most marginalized children. In cooperation with local partners, Songbound sets up and sustains children’s choirs that rehearse weekly, in a safe environment, in preparation for exciting performance events throughout the year. Since 2012, Songbound has built up a network of 17 choirs (15 in Mumbai and 2 in Bangalore), impacting the lives of over 600 children. Local choir leaders from a wide variety of Indian and Western musical backgrounds receive training from international vocal experts who, in collaboration with some of the world’s leading musicians, help the children to grow in confidence, feel valued and work towards long-term goals.
Kevin Fox will serve as Songbound’s first-ever guest clinician, traveling to several schools and educational sites, leading workshops for the children’s choirs, as well as running training sessions for their teachers.
Since 1995, the not-for-profit Mehli Mehta Music Foundation has promoted Western classical music through the presentation of high-quality concerts and music education for children. Incorporated by superstar conductor Zubin Mehta, in honor of his father, MMF works to foster awareness of Western Classical music in Mumbai and throughout India. Over the past two decades, the Foundation has been instrumental in bringing many of the world’s greatest ensembles and musicians to the city.
The National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai is India’s premier cultural institution. Opened in 1969, it was the first multi-venue, multi-genre cultural space in South Asia. The NCPA is committed to preserving and promoting India’s vibrant heritage in the fields of music, dance, theater, film, literature and photography, as well as presenting new and innovative work by Indian and international artists. Today, the NCPA hosts more than 700 events each year, making it India’s largest and most holistic performing arts venue.
While at NCPA, Kevin Fox will lead workshops and teacher training programs within the Education Department.
CHENNAI: Madras Musical Association, Madras Youth Choir, KM Music Conservatory
First established in Madras (now called Chennai) back in 1893 by a small group of European expatriates, the Madras Musical Association is the oldest choir of its kind in India. Committed to presenting large-scale works of the Western choral repertoire, MMA currently boasts a roster of more than 90 members.
Founded in 1971 by preeminent Tamil conductor and composer M.B. Sreenivasan, the Madras Youth Choir is a major player in choral music in Chennai. For over 40 years, MYC has been the regional leader in the practice of traditional Indian choral music.
KM Music Conservatory
Opened by the famous Indian film composer A.R. Rahman in 2008, KM Music Conservatory offers full and part-time courses in both Hindustani and Western Classical music, as well as music technology. An important conduit for students seeking to further their musical education and gain a foothold in the Indian professional music world, the Conservatory owns a commercial recording studio and runs a string orchestra for local underprivileged children.
