CHENNAI: The Book Office in association with a band called On That Note, hosted an open mic, The Tuner. As the name suggests, there were performers of all ages from 16 to 50. Over 20 people participated and amateurs tried their hands at singing and playing instruments. The gathering included 35 people from all walks of life.
"Although the audience were a bit sceptical, they all wanted to give it a shot. Everybody relaxed, hummed along, and the whole space was filled with positive vibes," said Simran Chakraborty, event manager and curator of The Book Office. While one half of The Book Office, a non-profit organisation, is dedicated for events while the other half is a library for book reading sessions, workshops and storytelling events. She adds that all the participants were new and had no prior professional training.
The musical performances were in Tamil, English, and Hindi. Among the performers were a self-taught violinist and guitarist who played these instruments as a hobby. "This is our debut open mic but the response was good. Aspiring artistes only saw it as a stage to build confidence and were open to criticisms. The event was indeed a motivation for non-performers," she added sharing they would be keeping the space open for theatre or jamming sessions by bands to encourage talents.
They plan to have open mics every month. They're also roping in with Chennai-based stand up comedians for their upcoming show called The comedy shelf on April 29.