BENGALURU: Although western classical music is one of the most prominent forms of music today, there are hardly any major western music conservatories in India imparting learning in the same. Seeing this need, Karl Lutchmayer, a well known British-Indian musician and professor at the prestigious Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London has plans to open a music university in the country.
Karl is a UK born pianist with roots in Goa.
He graduated from the Royal College of Music, London and has played with some prominent names in the world of music. “For the last few years, I have been concentrating on my work in India. I hope to open a music university in India where people can learn the piano and the nuances of Western music. It is surprising that countries smaller than India have a well-established ground in Western music.
But India has no proper music conservatory,” says Karl, who is in the city to launch the ‘Aruna Sunderlal Memorial Concert’ series of the Bangalore School of Music (BSM) on June 3. Karl says that it almost beyond belief that India is the only major country on earth that has no degree awarding music conservatoire. “Can anyone really believe that in almost 1.3 billion people there are not 100 every year who would be good enough to study full time? London alone has 4 major conservatoire,” he adds. At the moment, there are very few teachers qualified to teach at the degree level, let alone beyond.
“This needs to change if India is not to be left behind. Look at China. I hope that my conservatoire will one day in the near future address that need,” says Karl.Karl has been regularly visiting the country since his boyhood days and has some fond memories in Bengaluru too. “As a child in the 70s I came a few times to Banaglore, and remember it very well as a wonderful green city with a beautiful climate. Out of interest, until last year my great aunt was still living at the Cannossian Convent in Benson town (where she had formerly been mother superior), and when I’m in town i always try and pop in and visit the nuns there,” he says.
Although many things have changed over the years, between the traffic and the new buildings, much of the original is still very present, both literally and metaphorically, Karl says. “Bengaluru still has its cultural aspect intact; the city is full of all kinds of music,” he adds.
Fuelling Students’ Dreams
BSM’s purpose of launching the concert series is to create a corpus fund to enable young and talented students to pursue music. “We have come across youngsters who are phenomenally gifted, but are unable to pursue music. Perhaps such children too could be the beneficiaries of these kind of fund-raising concerts,” says M.R. Jagadeesh, Director-Operations, BSM