40 Years of making music.
My musical resume gives you a glimpse into my musical journey through a professional lens. You can see where I have performed, the productions I have been able to be a part of and the choirs and choral groups I have composed for, conducted and directed.
I would liken my musical journey to that of a train ride. In my days of growing up, walking was the principle mode of travel, and a train or even a car trip as a matter of a fact, was special and talked about long after it was over.
I think of my ride and remember most everything; the start, the stops, the barren stretches in between, the excursions at some stops, the many acquaintances and influences, the stop signs and signal lights that changed the pace of the ride and the growing anticipation of arrival .
For me it is not yet over.
My musical ride started at home, even before I could read or write , in a family environment that was filled with singing and music. I grew up realizing that music was fun. By the age of seven I was singing as a boy soprano in a choir and soon given solos that were demanding and challenging. There was no turning back. I still remember my very first big break when I was 12 years old, given the honour to sing the lead role in the Christmas Opera " Amahl and the Night visitors" presented by the Madras Musical Association. It was the beginning of many performances across the city, including radio programs, each playing its unique role in shaping and paving my future as a singer/ musician.
My first and only piano teacher when I was 12 years old was “Sharadha Akka” as I called her. She was a patient lady who taught me that music was more than just notes strung together. Over the next two years she helped me understand the piano through my own creative strengths and freedom of musical expression, laying the foundation for the beginning of a friendship and bonding with the instrument that has since become an extension of my personality.
At 14, I dove head first into the world of close harmony singing when I started singing duets with my school mate. The thrill of blending was contagious and within a few years together three friends and I started a quartet, that we named the GATT, simply the initials of our middle names. As a quartet we were given the opportunity to sing at many events around the country. A memorable highlight was the invitation by the US Embassy to meet and sing with Mahalia Jackson "the queen of Gospel singing". After several years, the quartet gained another member, becoming a quintet. We have performed the world over – to name a few – The International Church Music Festival in Coventry, England, Switzerland and Italy, The Chicago Gospel Fest in Chicago and for the Torch Bearing ceremony for the 2000 Olympics as well as at the Opera house in Australia.
I pause in my journey to say that the GATT was and has continued to be a defining entity in my life as a musician and person. A major roundabout in my journey was The Emmanuel Methodist Church in Madras. It played a very important role in encouraging, nurturing and developing my love for choral music. I sang as a tenor/counter tenor in the choir for many years and later had the privilege to serve as Choir director until I left Madras in 1990. Yet another male group that I had the privilege to be part of and lead was the ten member "Male Voice Ensemble". The availability of more voices to work with served as the ideal ground for improvisation and vocal experimentation, an experience that I consider invaluable. In a very different setting I have also contributed with western voice and harmony for noted music directors of the Indian film music industry namely, Ilaya Raaja , AR Rahman , Shyam and Salil Chowdry and singers like SP Balasubramaniam and Usha Uthup.
I moved to Bahrain and was appointed as the Choir Director of the National Evangelical Church which further gave me the incredible opportunity to interact and work with voices from different countries and nationalities with varied rich musical concepts and backgrounds .
I pause again to reflect, grateful for the many who joined in my journey to enrich my musical experiences. It's been a long, interesting and satisfying ride, and its not over yet.