In the past decade, Child’s Play India has had many milestones to be proud of. The Camerata
Child’s Play India performed at the Monte Music Festival in 2014; the charity
was invited to be featured at the INK Talks twice, in 2010 and 2017; and they
have had two major concerts every year since 2014, which are now fixtures on
Goa’s classical music calendar. The concerts are no mean feat working with
dozens of children across different locations and bringing them together as one
ensemble. The charity has also been featured in several national and
international publications including Reader’s Digest, The Hindu and Deutsche
Welle, and in a book on classical music titled ‘Planet Beethoven: Classical
Music at the Turn of the Millennium’.
Child’s Play India Foundation celebrates
its tenth anniversary in 2019-20. Their anniversary monsoon concert on
September 21, 2019 at Menezes Braganza Hall, Panjim at 6pm, showcases a range
of performances, from the children of Child’s Play (ages 6-19), the Camerata
Child’s Play India and performances by invited musicians including Omar De
Loiola Pereira, Selwyn Menezes, Jonathan Bager (flute), Laura Riccardi (violin)
and others.
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This concert will showcase a variety of pieces like works for
beginner orchestra, and the more advanced ensemble will give the Indian
premiere of a concerto grosso by a less-well-known Baroque composer, Johann
Valentin Rathgeber (with children playing the solo parts); two movements
(Rondeau and the famous Badinerie) of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Orchestral Suite
no. 2 in B minor; Vivaldi concerto in C major (RV 115) for strings and
continuo; and to celebrate our milestone, the soulful Andante Festivo by Jean
Sibelius. There will also be performances by noted duo Omar de Loiola Pereira
(guitar) and Selwyn Menezes (violin). The Baridisi Quartet will perform the
Mozart Flute Quartet no. 4 in A major, KV. 298. Bager and Riccardi will play
Telemann’s Sonata in A major. In addition, the flute students will perform a
three-part arrangement of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, while Irfan Simphigher,
who has been with the charity since its inception, will play Joseph-Hector
Fiocco’s dazzling Allegro.
Future plans of the NGO are focused on building on existing
projects, especially the cello project, which has revitalised an interest in
the instrument. “We are committed to providing an excellent standard of
teaching for our students. This means building a strong pedagogical foundation,
partnerships with similar institutions worldwide and opportunities to grow as
musicians. We are always open to applications from experienced and enthusiastic
teachers. In fact, we get several emails every week from all over the world
with enquiries about vacant positions,” says Dr Luis Dias, founder and project
director of Child’s Play.
The mission of Child’s Play India is to instil positive values
and provide social empowerment to India’s disadvantaged children through the
teaching of classical music to the highest possible standard. “When we started
the charity ten years ago, we had no idea about the journey it would take us on
and how this would take over our lives completely. In the decade gone by, we
have met and taught hundreds of children. We have watched them grow from shy
children to confident teenagers. Some of the children we started with ten years
ago are still with us and I hope they will continue learning music even as they
grow into adulthood. It is truly awe-inspiring to observe at such close
quarters the transforming power of music in the lives of children and youth,”
says Dr Luis.
The
anniversary monsoon concert will celebrate this transforming power of music and
will be an evening to remember. Donation passes are available at Furtados,
Panjim and at the venue before the concert.
