BENGALURU: The Berklee Indian Ensemble (Part of Berklee College of Music, USA) performed for the first time outside USA here in the city on Tuesday. Raghu Dixit, Indian folk musician, and Vijay Prakash, playback singer, joined them as guest artistes.
The group had become an online sensation when they sung A R Rahman’s ‘Jiya Jale’ which received over four million YouTube views. Annette Philip, vocalist and Berklee alumna, is the director of the group which has 42 members from 22 countries. City Express catches up with her for a quick chat.
How do you feel performing for the first time in India?
We are really excited. Many of the group members are not from India. It is nice to bring the band home.
How has the journey of the group been like?
I founded the group in Berklee in 2011 and it was the first Indian performing ensemble of its kind in the college’s history. People liked it and kept joining the ensemble. We started with 18 members and it grew to about 40 by the time we reached third semester. It is a class but we function like a professional unit. We do tours, recordings and music videos. The group has people from diverse backgrounds. It is a space for people to explore music from India but they bring their own cultural inputs from places such as Indonesia, Singapore, Israel, Kenya, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Sweden.
Rahman always wanted to study at Berklee but couldn’t. He performed with you in 2015. How was it like?
It was great. He is a genius. He is like an idol to us. It was so great to meet him and have him listen to our interpretation. We did a master class with him. He is very generous with his time, ideas and wisdom.
With artistes from different backgrounds in your ensemble, is it challenging?
No. It is not. It is easier because we have people from so many different cultures and upbringing. They add their own interpretations to the music. For instance, someone trained in Hindustani music will sing a Carnatic piece differently. They will have their own gamakas. In the same way an Israeli or an African will have their own way of singing it. We just try to be open to different ideas.
What fascinates you about the Indian music?
Indian music is one of the most ancient forms of art. There is a lot we can learn from it. Each gharana in Hindustani music has its own style. Folk music is something that really excites us. We like Sufi music. We are inspired by the bands like Advaitha and The Raghu Dixit Project. It is not unidimensional. That has, I think, made these students so enthusiastic.
Your next performance in India...
I hope very soon. I want to take the troupe to other cities such as Kolkata, Chennai, North East, Delhi and Goa. We see a lot of blues music in North East and many of us are practising it. Performing at the India-Pakistan border is again something I look forward to.