Tuning Mumbai into Mozart

Lavine DaCosta has plenty to thank the Mehli Mehta Music Foundation (MMMF) for. It was his dogged association with them that got his self-taught musical talents noticed.

The foundation later intervened to secure him a year's scholarship to study the double bass at Trinity College, London. He returned the favour, and now teaches musical appreciation at the foundation.

It is people like DaCosta that the foundation is here to influence and support in its endeavour to grow the smattering of Mumbai's Western classical music lovers.

It is said that Mehli Mehta, Mumbai's prized export to the world arena of Western classical music and father to Zubin and Zarin Mehta, was so worried about his name being attached to MMMF, that he would meticulously scrutinise the foundation's every move to ensure a certain calibre of music.

Ten years on, it is clear he had little reason to worry. The Sangat musical festival, hosted by the foundation and to be held between December 11-17 this year, has earned itself a sizeable reputation for treating audiences in Mumbai to the entire spectrum (from Haydn and Mendelssohn to 20th century contemporary Indian composers) of chamber music, known to be the toughest genre of Western classical music.

Says Harvey De Souza, violinist and co-founder of the festival, "Today, my musician friends ask me if there's a slot open for them to play. I hope audiences realise just what has gone into creating this kind of recognition, where people at the peak of their careers are willing to waive their fees, to play at the event."

Rashmi Poddar, a trustee of MMMF, agrees, "The fact is we're at par with the finest chamber festivals of the world; ultimately, there is no substitute for good music. Add to that the challenge of assembling together a trio or a quintet in a week and making it work."

The Sangat festival was conceived by brothers Harvey and Ralph De Souza to fill the void left by declining interest and create the kind of environment that enabled talented young Indians to study Western classical music and perform it professionally in their country.

As kids of middle-class parents in Mazgaon docks, with little more than a familial appreciation for quality music to back them up, the brothers went on to study at the Yehudi Menuhin school and achieve great recognition, but always harboured a desire to play to a home crowd.

"The first festival had four musicians of Indian origin; but we soon discovered that there was a large body of musicians of Indian origin," says Poddar. She is in awe of Pallavi Mahidhara, a prodigious pianist from Baltimore, who first performed at the festival when she was 16 and has returned this year.

"Every year we discover new musicians, we have just been introduced to a barely-teen Robert Gupta, still clinging onto his violin possessively," she smiles. The legends come too, like violinist Gil Shaham, who has played at the festival previously, and pianist Yesim Bronfman who was brought in just a few weeks ago for a solo recital.

"It's important to understand how generous these musicians are with their time; some of them command $35,000-50,000 a show," says Poddar.

Some will grudgingly argue that the patrons of the foundation alone accord the foundation its allure, and yes, luminary associations there are, from Shyam Benegal and Nusli Wadia to Yusuf Hameid and, of course, Zubin and Zarin Mehta.

But it's not a case of making up the numbers, as Rashmi Poddar will tell you. "It takes total dedication to run a non-profit for a cause that was a forgotten entity 10 years ago". And it isn't exactly on everyone's favourite cause list today either.

"Funding is always a problem, we depend on our patrons, and sometimes harangue our friends," says Mehroo Jeejee-bhoy, another trustee. The one constant source of funds is sales proceeds from the philharmonic orchestra Zubin Mehta brings to India annually.

Barring that, entry to all MMMF recitals, including the Sangat festival and its music discussion evenings, are free to draw in enthusiasts and dismiss notions that Western classical music is elitist.

But even with free entry, audience receptivity is stubborn. The old faithful return each year, but it is to bring in new blood that the foundation introduced Discover Music appreciation classes for children and the Singing Tree children's choir, trained by Coomi Wadia, a household name for Western classical fans.

Over 150 children in Mumbai are impacted by the efforts of the foundation every year and Jeejeebhoy smiles when she points out that its not just the Parsees who direct their children towards Western classical music these days; the names indicate representation from several communities.

"We believe there needs to be a dose of music in every kid's life. School choirs no longer fulfill that need because they are so elementary, children are getting bored," she says.

"We are here to support enthusiastic learners like DaCosta grow and get the attention their skills deserve," says Poddar, "but we'd ideally like them to return to India, perhaps work with us, and perform for local audiences. But we can't blame them when they don't, the response they get here is sometimes just not enough".

But there's no time for despairing; the 10th Sangat festival is a week away and Poddar quickly switches to unequivocal excitement. This year, the Singing Tree choir will sing for the first time, accompanied by the festival strings orchestra.

The kids themselves, bright-eyed and eager, look unaffected by the attention they're about to recieve as they gather around the piano that seats the gracious Coomi Wadia. Jeejeebhoy is equally excited by this year's focus on Russia's prized composers from Rachmaninov to Tchaikovsky.

"I just hope we grow to do bigger, better things; we like to move our goalposts each year," says Jeejeebhoy. "I wish there was lots more money," laments Poddar.

After all, there's a teacher's academy to start, a musical instruments bank to assemble that will loan out instruments to deserving students, and thousands of children to convert from the scourings of reality TV to the scores of Strauss.