Dolcy D’Cruz
Goa has a rich musical heritage, home to gifted singers and versatile musicians whose performances add life to every celebration. Learning Western classical music requires discipline, training and guidance from experienced maestros. Since 1970, Kala Academy Goa has played a significant role in nurturing this tradition through its School of Western Music. Over the years, under the guidance of various directors and teachers, the institution has trained generations of talented musicians and helped raise the standard of Western classical music in the state. The quality of training provided by Kala Academy has enabled several Goan musicians to build successful careers and showcase their talent beyond the state and the country. Many have gone on to perform across India and on international stages, earning recognition from audiences worldwide. Every year in August, the Department of Western Music at Kala Academy Goa celebrates Founder’s Day in honour of its founder-director, Maestro Antonio Fortunato Figueiredo, whose birthday is commemorated as part of the occasion. Maestro Figueiredo formed choirs and musical ensembles and played a pioneering role in developing Western classical music education in Goa. His efforts led to the establishment, in 1952, of the Academia de Música da Índia Portuguesa, modelled on the European conservatory system. The institution was among the earliest in the Indian subcontinent to systematically offer Western classical music education based on European conservatory curricula. In 1970, the Academia was absorbed into the Kala Academy Goa and is supported by the Government of Goa, under the aegis of the Directorate of Art and Culture. The Department of Western Music of the Kala Academy is now directed by Maestro Fr Romeo Monteiro. It today boasts of a strength of nearly 400 students learning various disciplines like Violin, Cello, Pianoforte, Classical Guitar, Voice Training, Electronic Keyboard, besides Solfeggio and Musicology. The Department of Western Music of the Kala Academy Goa will be celebrating Founder’s Day with Brass & Reeds a concert of Western Classical Music on Saturday, August 22, at 5:30 pm at Kala Academy, Campal. The concert will feature solo, chamber, choral and orchestral music presented by the staff, students and ex-students of the institution. Certificates will also be distributed to the meritorious students on the occasion. The highlight of the programme will be Overture by Gioachino Rossini, an Italian composer, who wrote this opera and the overture in the 19th century played by the Kala Academy Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra will also play Symphony No. 32, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, under the baton of Dr Romeo Monteiro, the Director of the Department of Western Music of the Kala Academy Goa. The orchestra boasts of a strength of 52 musicians and is self-sufficient with reed, brass and percussion sections made up of students and teachers. The Kala Academy choir will also be in attendance and is set to enthral the audience with their unique renditions. “Overtures are usually written by composers to begin a big work like an opera or a ballet, presenting key themes or motifs that appear later in the performance, giving the audience a taste of what’s to come. However, some composers like Rossini wrote free-standing overtures that do not contain melodic resemblance to any of the opera’s principal themes. This overture was originally composed for Rossini’s earlier operas. It captivates the comedic spirit and hilarious atmosphere of the opera,” explains Fr Romeo. He further adds, “For this concert, we are performing Rossini’s Overture from an opera. It is a dramatic piece performed by major international orchestras, so it is a significant achievement for us to perform it. We are also presenting a short symphony by Mozart. The final piece is ‘Make Me a Channel of Your Peace’ by Sebastian Temple. There will be about 53 musicians, 49 members in the senior choir and around 50 children in the children’s choir. For the final piece, the combined strength will be around 140 to 150 performers.” Preeti Coutinho has been teaching singing for 12 years at the Department of Western Music of the Kala Academy Goa and for this concert, besides conducting the senior choir, she is also a part of the orchestra, playing the oboe, a woodwind instrument. “It is quite a rare instrument in Goa. Unlike the violin, which can be played in churches, orchestras and even at various functions, the oboe is primarily used in orchestral settings. I am also conducting my senior choir. My students will be performing along with some guest singers whom I have invited. It is difficult to find enough male singers, particularly tenors and basses, so I have had to bring in people from outside. Some are parents of my students, some are former students, and others are friends. We need that strength to cover all the different vocal parts,” says Preeti. The choir has been preparing three pieces, Viva from Mozart’s oratorio Il re pastore; Soon We Will Be Done, a modern composition by Kyle Pederson; and Sobit Amchem Goyem, one of Dr Romeo Monteiro’s own compositions, with lyrics by Dr Luis Gomes. Juwel Pereira, a teacher at Our Lady of the Rosary High School, Dona Paula, will be the only musician playing the timpani for this concert. He has been singing with Fr Romeo Monteiro’s choir for some time, but his journey with the timpani began only a couple of years ago. “There was a concert where Fr Romeo needed someone to play the timpani, so he asked me. He taught me how to play it, and since then, I’ve had a few opportunities to perform on it,” he says Juwel is also part of the adult choir, where he sings bass. With many of the students at Kala Academy being young, there is a need for experienced singers to perform the lower vocal parts. Working with Fr Romeo has been a rewarding experience for Juwel. “The experience is always amazing. It gives me immense joy because Fr Romeo is someone who gives people opportunities. He first heard me singing at a Mass, then invited me to sing with him and also gave me some private classes,” he says. The upcoming concert features challenging works, and Juwel credits Fr Romeo’s guidance and patience for helping the performers prepare. “The pieces we are playing are not easy. They are quite challenging. He has taken the time to sit with me and help me through them. And it’s not just me, he has been patient with all of us and guided us throughout,” he adds. Reanne Mendes is a teacher at Kala Academy and leader of the Cello section and will also playing the cello for the concert. “Playing in the orchestra is a wonderful opportunity for teamwork. Every instrument right from the loudest brass to the quietest string plays a vital role. We are blessed that we have our director Fr Romeo to get the families of the orchestra (strings, brass, woodwinds and percussion) together. It’s a thrill and excitement to bring this music of the 1700s to 1800s alive,” concludes Reanne.
