‘A Midsummer’s Night Dream ’ is a concert that is being presented by Opus Gala in
collaboration with the Directorate of Art and Culture and Kala Academy on May
7, 2018 at 7pm at Kala Academy’s D M K Auditorium, Panjim. The evening of
orchestral music will feature works by composers Béla Bartók, Anton Arensky and
Samuel Barber. The programme will also feature solo performances by Sanya Myla
Cotta (violin) and Tanisha Herbert (soprano). Sanya will be playing Vivaldi’s
well known ‘Summer’, celebrating the spirit of the season, while Tanisha will
serenade the audience with two Arias, ‘Che Faro Senza Euridice’ and ‘Una Voce
Poco Fa’, composed by Christoph Willibald Gluck and Gioachino Rossini
respectively.
This orchestra comprises some of the best musicians from all
over India and will be conducted by Joris Decolvenaer, a Belgian violinist and
conductor. Decolvenaer received his orchestral conducting training at the
University of Leuven, Belgium with Ivan Meylemans, Assistant Conductor, Royal
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam, and at the Conservatory of Lille, France in
the class of Jean-Sébastien Berreau, Laurent Goossaert and Alexandre Bloch.
Decolvenaer’s first experience with the orchestral world started
in youth orchestras such as the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO) and later
on in professional orchestras like the National Orchestra of Belgium and the Brussels
Philharmonic Orchestra. Decolvenaer is a laureate of several music competitions
such as the Supernova -The Future Sound of Classical Music and Leos Janacek
International Competition. He was also awarded the Vocatio scholarship of
Belgium.
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Goa’s very own Sanya
Cotta will be leading the orchestra as its concertmaster. Sanya completed her
formal education under Prof Ulf Klausenitzer at the University of Nürnberg,
where she has completed two degrees in Performance and Pedagogy and a
postgraduate degree. In 2016, she completed her Masters in Music under Prof
Naaman Sluchin at the Koninklijk Conservatorium in Brussels, Belgium. In 2009,
she gained entry to the prestigious ‘Junge Deutsche Philharmonie’ (German Youth
Orchestra) and in 2012 to the World Youth Orchestra. She presently freelances
with several orchestras in Europe and is part of the music faculty at the
International German School, Brussels.
The other soloist,
Tanisha Herbert, hails from Bangalore. A winner of ‘The Neemrana Voice
competition – The Godrej Talent of India Award’ 2018, Tanisha is a seasoned
performer and passionate music educator who regularly gives solo, choir and
opera concerts throughout India. She has participated in Masterclasses from
some of the world’s best, including Gramophone Award winner Benjamin Appl,
British soprano Patricia Rozario and Swedish Mezzo soprano Maria Forsström. Her
accolades include being the first ever Indian chosen to participate in the
Centre for Opera Studies in Italy and winning the Theme Kawai Rolling Trophy
for Best Musician for 2011 and 2012.
The initial idea to
form this orchestra came from Arun Rozario, Joris Decolvenaer and Sanya Cotta.
This young group and other like-minded young people networked and sourced some
of the best players in the country to put together this orchestra that
comprises mostly of players from India, as well as two from Sri Lanka and two
from Belgium
Another special debut
for this concert is a special acoustic shell designed and fabricated by Rui
Lobo, a musician and engineer from Goa. It will be the first time in nearly 40
years that the Kala Academy Dinanath Mangeshkar Hall will be experiencing the
benefit of an acoustic shell.
This
concert is free and open to the public.
