|
Overview
Choir
Heinrich
Holger
Nadaka
Nuria
Stefano
Osmose
|
AUROVILLE
MUSIC
From the very beginning, music
has been an important part of Auroville life.
From acoustic to amplified, we have always enjoyed a rich variety of music made
and performed within the community. Such performances have included intimate
chamber music recitals, concerts for choir and orchestra, classical singing,
jazz and bossa nova concerts, rock shows for dancing audiences, and informal
jazz café evenings.
Acoustic music
Over the years Auroville has been the recipient of many acoustic performances.
At present the Auroville Choir and the Children's Choir perform 2 to 3 times a
year with a total membership exceeding 65 of various nationalities. Programmes
have included pieces of different styles and in many languages performed both
accompanied and à Capella. The choir has recorded two CDs of their
performances. Auroville is also home to several musicians (pianists, violinists,
cellists, flutists, etc.) who often perform classical pieces. Some of these
musicians are also composers. Other successful projects have included a
Children's Opera, written, composed and performed by Aurovilians, as well as a
joint presentation by the Auroville choirs and orchestra of a composition
specially MADE for New Year's Eve 2000. Guest musicians and music teachers have
enriched Auroville's cultural life with their performances and workshops.
Amplified and electronic
music
Auroville hosts a rich variety
of bands and ensembles that use amplified and electric musical equipment. From
as diverse fields as pop, rock, jazz, funk and folk, such bands have long since
contributed a significant part of the entertainment within the community. Band
performances have included Rock shows such as 'A Blast from the Past', and 'Shireen',
playing their own compositions. Jazz bands such as 'Vibration Society' have
delighted audiences with their mixture of jazz and Indian music, and Bossa Nova
has been represented by the show 'Coisas da Bossa'. 'Osmose' and 'Paysans' are
bands of young artists, playing original rock compositions. All the above bands
have recorded CDs of their performances as part of their research. Solo
performers and improvised music are regular features of the Jazz Café Evenings.
Furthermore many guest musicians and bands from India and abroad have performed
in Auroville, enriching our cultural experience.
Performing spaces
Although Auroville does not have a space specifically designed for music, a
number of locations are consistently favoured. The most popular for musicians
and spectators alike is the Visitor's Centre, which provides an uncovered stage
area with spacious outdoor seating. Other places frequently used include the Sri
Aurobindo Auditorium and the Coffee Shop on the Solar Kitchen roof. An
appropriate performing space, covered to protect musicians, equipment and
audiences from the weather, as well as providing an adequate dance floor, is
terribly missing. Often performances have to be cancelled due to inclement
weather.
Research and practice spaces
In recent years a number of privately constructed spaces have been developed
within Auroville, usually in someone's home. A single shared facility is
currently available to all musicians. It is a renovated basement located in
Kalabhumi, an area in Auroville's Cultural Zone devoted to the arts, providing
basic items of equipment such as a drum set, various amplifiers, stands and
microphones. The room is used every day by a large number of individuals, bands
and groups. It is, however, not properly ventilated, and insufficient for the
number of musicians and bands currently active in Auroville. Most of the
equipment in this space is old and constantly in need of repair.
Proper rehearsal facilities with rooms of different sizes to accommodate the
needs of individuals and groups are needed. These facilities should include
sound-proof rooms, lockers for instruments and materials, basic equipment such
as drum kit, amplifiers, microphones, stands, cassette/CD player, keyboard, etc.
As part of their practice, musicians often record their work in progress, and
the final product (a performance). Currently there is no recording studio
generally available to musicians in Auroville.
Educational facilities
There are several musicians in Auroville who also teach music. Mostly this
happens in their own home as there is no appropriate space for music classes in
Auroville. It is necessary to have adequate classrooms to accommodate various
groups of people involved in teaching and learning theoretical music. Spaces
should be properly equipped. For the teaching of music instruments and voice
training, the rooms should be sound-proof and include appropriate equipment.
Auroville is home to a rich
variety of musicians, acoustic and electronic. We have solo artists, bands,
ensembles, choirs, an orchestra, etc. We also regularly host a wealth of guest
musicians who share their talent -and often their knowledge- with us. Such
guests include composers, conductors and artists from the U.S.A., Holland,
Belgium, Brazil, etc. Facilities to hold workshops and for extra rehearsals to
take advantage of this pool of talent are limited to Pitanga Hall, which is
already overbooked with activities. Comprehensive musical training is not yet
available in Auroville. Meanwhile, we must also not forget the associated
sciences of acoustics, sound engineering, recording and editing, essential for a
complete musical performance, for which training is limited and access is
available to a few individuals only.
A lot still needs to be done..
|
