CHENNAI: The Madras Musical Association (MMA) will conduct a concert on the theme ‘Aqua’ on October 12 and October 13 at the Museum Theatre, Egmore to commemorate its 125th year. The MMA was founded by a group of European expatriates in 1893 in St. Andrews Church (The Kirk) under the baton of Signor Aloysio, an Italian who also served as the choir director of The Kirk. The primary objective of setting up MMA was to project, perform and propagate western music.
Concerts were mainly held in Senate House, in erstwhile Madras and then at Victoria Hall (next to Central Station) and then at Museum Theatre. The Aqua-themed concert will feature the MMA choir and the MMA band led by Immanuel Thiyakeswaran. “It is a matter of great pride and joy for me to be conducting this concert and being part of the legacy of MMA,” said Augustine Paul, the music director of the concert. “We have about 90 singers and around 25 musicians performing for the concert. It has taken us about three months and roughly twelve rehearsals to put together the 20 pieces for the show.”
MMA started off as a purely European choir but soon opened its doors to locals and saw participation in large numbers. It took a little more than six decades since its inception to have an Indian conductor in Padma Shri awardee Handel Manuel, who took over from Long in 1958. MMA has a wide range of music ranging from classical to gospel, jazz, country and western, world music and pop.
“We wanted to pick a theme that was in line with MMA completing 125 years,” said Mary Rodrigues, president of MMA. “Aqua is something that pervades every aspect of our life. While it is an abstract theme, it felt apt because it is almost like an ode to life. It shows longevity, which is something that we thought matched MMA reaching this milestone too. It promises to be an experiential show and one that the audience can immerse themselves in.”
Donor passes will be available for Rs 300, Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 at Pro Musicals, PMA School of Music, Galilee School of Music, Musee Musical and MMA Choristers. The concert begins at 7 pm, however, those interested have been asked to be seated by 6.45 pm.