Goan origin Professor Karl Lutchmayer from Trinity Laban Conservatoire, London is presently conducting piano workshops for students in Candolim. Prior to a joint concert at the Art Chamber, Calangute on May 24, the pianist sat down for a chat with The Goan
In Goa, it is not uncommon to discover that at least one family member in every household is a musician or has at some point of time learnt to play a music instrument and has some knowledge of Western classical music. And despite the booming demand for music genres like pop, rock and rap in recent times, the interest in Western classical music has surprisingly not dwindled but rather grown in bounds especially over the last few years. Taking note of this trend, noted pianist and professor Karl Lutchmayer has been actively involved in getting the best of talent from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire (formerly Trinity College of Music) to conduct workshops here in India over the last four years.
“Our main concern is that the interest in music has been growing globally with more and more people interested in taking the exams. However, at present in India there is no university education available for students interested in pursuing western classical music. So the idea is to meet and work with teachers and advanced students who wish to become professional musicians here in India and give them the best possible opportunities to learn at the highest levels,” says Lutchmayer, whose family originally hails from Candolim. An accomplished pianist who has given concerts all over the world and worked with conductors like Lorin Maazel and Sir Andrew Davis, Lutchmayer studied at the Royal School of Music and later with Lev Naumov at the Moscow Conservatoire. He is also a professor of Performing Practice at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire and gives regular guest lectures at the Juilliard and Manhattan Schools in New York. Apart from this, he is also presently the only Steinway artist in India.
“When I was growing up, my parents wanted me to be a lawyer instead of pursuing music. Now however I have parents coming up to be and telling me that they would rather that their children become a musician rather than a doctor or lawyer which is great,” says Lutchmayer. “Also, now, there are more monetary benefits for people who want to pursue western classic music professionally.” Lutchmayer also believes that a key factor in the growing interest could all be due to the growing middle class population. “To be honest in the history of Western classical music be it London, New York or anywhere, the main factor for the growth has been the expanding middle class. And to be fair the country with the largest middle class right now is in India so the growth in western classical music is only to be expected.”
The gradual breaking down of the label of this genre of music being elitist has also helped. “In Mumbai previously only the Parsis and those who has been in this music for years used to come over for these concerts. Now you find its prevalence even in the suburbs,” he says. “Of course breaking the tradition of it being elitist will perhaps still take another generation but concerts like the Monte Music Festival and Ketavan Music Festival are helping break down these barriers and making it more accessible to the public.”
However, Lutchmayer believes that learning music should still be an essential part of education in schools here in India. “ If you look at society right from the Neanderthal times yo find that there was music. So music is elemental to life and we need to nurture this art form.”
His latest 10 day workshop here in Goa commenced on May 17 along with professor Andrew Sherwood who is conducting violin classes. The workshop is being held at his ancestral house in Candolim, where about 25 students from all over India spend 7-8 hours per day honing and perfecting their skills. “ Apart from skill enhancement, this also gives an opportunity for them to perform together and develop a camaraderie, something they wouldn't be able to do in their isolated locations,” says Lutchmayer. “Also, as many of the students plan to come to London to study later on, this year we have also introduced two scholarships just for Indian's to study at Trinity Laban.”
The students of the workshop will also be performing a joint concert on May 20 at Art Chamber in Calangute. “This will be an evening of 70-80 minutes of Western classical music with the piano and violin together,” he says. “It will include both popular and old pieces. Before each piece I will also provide an introduction to each piece to help listeners especially those new to this kind of music.”
