A new concept, the British Carnatic Choir, which aims to unite diverse communities through music has been launched.
The British Carnatic Choir, or BCC, which is the first of its kind in the UK, is the brainchild of Dr Chithra Ramakrishnan, one of the country’s finest Carnatic vocalists and Artistic Director of Shruthi UK, a Solihull-based South Asian arts and culture organisation. It aims to create and explore choral singing in South Indian classical music in the UK.
Carnatic music is a system of classical music associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, specifically four states: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is usually performed by a small ensemble of musicians, consisting of a principal performer (usually a violinist), a melodic accompaniment (usually a violin), a rhythm accompaniment (usually a mridangam), and a tambura, which acts as a drone throughout the performance.
The event last Friday at the Greater Birmingham Chamber was inaugurated by Chitravina N Ravikiran, a world-renowned composer and scholar in Carnatic music.
The two-hour programme included a conversation on the background to Carnatic music and its similarities with world music between Chitravina and Dr Eliot Bates PhD, lecturer in Ethnomusicology and Popular Music Studies at the University of Birmingham. BBC Asian Network presenter Ashanti Omkar provided her contribution via Skype.
Addressing the audience, Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Lib Dem Perry Barr Councillor Ray Hassall said:
“As First Citizen of a multicultural, multi-racial city, it gives me enormous pleasure to attend this launch, as one of my first events as Lord Mayor. I congratulate Dr Ramakrishnan on her concept and I hope it is embraced by as many people as possible as by doing so I feel it will bring together people and communities and make our city even greater and richer for its ever-growing diversity.”
Also in attendance at the formal launch were: Mr JK Sharma, Indian Consul General in Birmingham; Jasbir Wouhra from East End Foods; Her Majesty’s Deputy Lieutenant of West Midlands, Satinder Kaur Taunque OBE and her consort Jagjit Singh Taunque; Birmingham City Council Culture Officer Roxanna Collins; Piali Ray OBE, Director of SAMPAD; Davinder Prasad, General Secretary of Coventry-based BOPA and our Senior News Editor Dhiren Katwa.
Dhiren, in his speech, on behalf of our publications, congratulated Dr Ramakrishnan, who was interviewed on Nihal’s show on BBC Asian Network on the eve of the formal launch, and said he was pleased that this pioneering concept had particular focus on children and young adults. He also urged the local and regional media to support this diversity initiative.
The BCC aims to identify and recognise people, particularly children and youth, of all abilities and from all walks of life who share a common passion to create a British Carnatic Community, one which reflects the multicultural mosaic of Great Britain. It aims to complement Prime Minister David Cameron’s British Values in an attempt to encourage all citizens to respect each other’s ways of life and to celebrate good work, through the sounds, words and pictures of the BCC.
Earlier this year, Shruthi UK hosted an event to mark International Women’s Day, also a free Bharatnatyam dance workshop in support of World Autism Awareness Day 2015, working with Special Schools across the West Midlands. Shruthi UK, which this year celebrates its 10th anniversary, conducts one to one sessions and a series of workshops in Carnatic music and Bharatnatyam dance for children and young adults. To find out more visit www.shruthiuk.com
