Trinity Laban Conservatoire (formerly Trinity
College of Music), London, is currently conducting
piano and violin workshops by two senior
professors from London, Andrew Sherwood and
Karl Lutchmayer, in Candolim. The students include
talented young musicians from Goa, Nagaland, Delhi,
Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune. “Goa is my home and I
have been here for four months now. At Trinity Laban
Conservatoire, they find it surprising that a country
of 1.3 billion people has no world class conservatory
for the students, leaving them with no choice but to
go abroad to study. I spearheaded this project four
years ago to train teachers and young students. Every
important country in the world has a conservatory
for music and the Indian students should not have to
miss out on it. I am travelling the length and breadth
of the country to audition students, two of whom will
be selected for the post graduate level scholarship
to study at Trinity Laban,” explains the only Indian to
enjoy the honour of being a Steinway Artist.
On the India tour for the past five months, Karl
has visited Pune, Mumbai, Kohima and Bangalore to
train students as well as teachers. In Goa, the students
along with their professors, Andrew Sherwood and Karl
Lutchmayer, performed a joint concert at Art Chamber
in Calangute with pieces like ‘Vivaldi Concerto in
a minor (1st movement)’, ‘Couperin ‘To the King’s
Taste’, ‘Mozart Piano sonata in B major’, ‘Mozart violin
concerto in G major’ and ‘Chopin Berceuse’ along with
other musical masterpieces. “There are great musicians
across India but they are like big fish in a small pond,
with the highest of standards yet few chances of
performing. There were around 12-15 who have
performed at small concerts, but around 5-6 musicians
played their first every concert.”
In Goa, Karl lives in his ancestral home in
Candolim that he inherited from his grandparents,
John Baptist and Philomena Secco. At his first public
performance in Goa at Kala Academy in 2011, he was
surrounded by his family, including his grandparents,
in the audience. “I first came to Goa in 1974 as a kid
and have been coming frequently to spend time with
my grandparents. My grandfather would get his violin
and start playing and, for get-togethers, we would
have all my cousins and everyone come over and
sing songs. It was a proud feeling for me to see my
grandparents in the audience for my first performance
in Goa,” he reminisces.
When it comes to music, though earlier it was
given importance right at the school level, gradually
the trend with more importance given to mainstream
jobs. What is the current trend that Karl has noticed?
“I can see that parents who are bankers and doctors
want their children to be happy and active in any job
they like. There is a good career in music particularly
in India as there is more demand than supply for
western classical musicians compared to the rest of
the world. In UK, when i have a concert, there are
at least 12 concerts being organised at the same
time. When we train the students, besides being
established musicians, we also train them to be
entrepreneurs and businessmen. They don’t have to
go to the West when they can build a huge network
in India itself as there is no competition. There is no
business field in India without competition except
western classical music,” says Karl.
In 2015, Karl was awarded the Bharat Gaurav
(Pride Of India) Lifetime Achievement Award for his
contributions to Western Classical Music in India, the
UK, and internationally. “ I was very touched because
i was an British-Indian who received the award
which was very moving with a lovely speech that
was delivered at the award function. It goes to show
that my work and those of my colleagues has been
noticed in India,” says Karl, who will be performing
later in the year in New York and Los Angeles.
When not playing the piano or busy with his
students, Karl prefers to relax by going dancing,
visiting art galleries or going on a culinary journey. “I
studied ballet dancing for 12 years and I also dance
Tango, a few Russian Polish dances and Scottish
Country dance. I also enjoy clubbing and dancing to
EDM. While travelling I also enjoy eating the various
cuisines that I come across; the food from Nagaland
was very exciting,” he concludes
