NCPA Welcomes the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra to Mumbai This Weekend

The National Centre for the Performing Arts, India's premier arts institution presents BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra this weekend, 5th and 6th April at 11:30am and 7:30pm respectively at the NCPA's Jamshed Bhabha Theatre. NCPA joins hands with BBC SSO in the most ambitious programme of cultural exchange to promote and educate children about Western Classical Music in the country.

Mr. Khushroo N. Suntook, NCPA Chairman and Founder of SOI, "We are pleased to be presenting the BBC SSO in Mumbai as part of their tour leading up to the Commonwealth games. We share the BBC SSO's ambition of promoting and educating children about Western Classical Music. With this joint venture we are sure to get a few steps closer to achieving our plan to promote this genre in India and bring India on the international map for western music"

The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra embarks on a three-city tour in March and April 2014 with concerts, educational workshops and exchange between students from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the KM Music Conservatory of Bollywood composer AR Rahman.

Composer James MacMillan will lead the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, accompanied by Violinist Nicola Benedetti and students from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. The visit, in partnership with the British Council and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, is the centerpiece of the orchestra's activities leading up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

On April 5, animateur and music education expert Paul Rissmann will join the Orchestra, Benedetti and MacMillan to present a special programme for young audiences and families - 'An Introduction to the Symphony Orchestra for the Entire Family.', presenting the genre in the form of animation and projections. On 6 April the orchestra will present Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture, Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5 and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4.

Nicola Benedetti said: "This will be my very first trip to India and I am so excited. It's a highlight of my coming year because as well as playing some wonderful concerts, the orchestra and I will be staying in each of the cities for a few days, giving workshops and getting involved with the local communities. This is an element of music making I have dedicated so much time to and I'm thrilled to be joining another organization equally serious about sharing this music with all members of the community, not just to the folk who can afford to attend the concerts."

Lloyd Anderson, Director of the British Council Scotland, says "The Scottish Symphony Orchestra's tour of India, accompanied by students from the Royal Conservatoire, will create a programme of ground-breaking musical collaborations in order to build stronger links between India and Scotland. While our historical ties are strong, this tour, through engaging with young people at every stage, will make those relationships relevant to a new generation. The British Council is delighted to have helped to bring this tour about - renewing friendships and bringing musicians and music-lovers together from different parts of the world."

Biographies:

James MacMillan, conductor - James MacMillan is the pre-eminent Scottish composer of his generation. He attracted attention with the acclaimed BBC Proms premiere of The Confession of Isobel Gowdie (1990). His music combines rhythmic excitement, raw emotional power and spiritual meditation and his percussion concerto Veni, Veni, Emmanuel (1992) has received over 400 performances. He is also active internationally as a conductor and is Principal Guest Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Kamer Filharmonie.

He has conducted numerous orchestras around the globe, including the Baltimore Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Radio Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic and the NHK Symphony Tokyo, amongst others.

Nicola Benedetti, violin - Nicola Benedetti is one of the most sought-after violinists of her generation. Born in Scotland, of Italian heritage, she began violin lessons at the age of five.

Winner of Best Female Artist at the 2012 Classical BRIT Awards, Nicola Benedetti records exclusively for Decca (Universal Music). Her most recent recording, The Silver Violin, reached No.30 in the UK pop charts simultaneously topping the classical charts.

Nicola is also fiercely dedicated to music education and developing young talent. Through her work with such organizations as Sistema Scotland, she has helped to demonstrate the power that music can have in transforming the lives of young people.

5th April, 2014

An Introduction to the Symphony

Orchestra for the Entire Family

Presented by Paul Rissmann: Special programme for young audiences and families

11.30 AM, Jamshed

Bhabha Theatre

6th April, 2014

Orchestral Concert

7.30 PM, Jamshed

Bhabha Theatre

Rs 2,000, 1,600, 1,200, 1,000 & 800/- Box Office Now Open - Call 66223724/ 66223754. To use the online booking facility simply log on to the NCPA official website, www.ncpamumbai.com/buy-tickets or visit www.bookmyshow.com.

About the NCPA: Opening its doors to the world in 1969, the NCPA became the first multi-venue and multi-purpose cultural centre to be built in South Asia. Vibrant and diverse, the NCPA today is recognized by artistes, patrons and media alike as India's premier performing arts institution. The Centre provides a fine showcase for India's rich performing arts traditions, all thanks to the institution's training and research initiatives.

The NCPA presents over 600 events each year across all major art forms, most notably Indian Music, International Music, Theatre and Film, Dance, Literature, Visual Arts and Photography. There are Heads of Programming for each of these art forms who curate innovative events and festivals; representative of everything from classical to contemporary throughout the year. The NCPA produces its own programmes as well as collaborates with leading cultural promoters from around the world. For further information, visit www.ncpamumbai.com

About British Council: The British Council is the UK's international organisation for educational and cultural relations, creating

international opportunities for the people of the UK and those in other countries, and building trust between them worldwide. It works in more than 100 countries and its 7,000 staff - including 2,000 teachers - works with thousands of professionals, policy-makers and millions of young people every year, teaching English, sharing the arts, and in education and society programmes.

The British Council is a UK charity governed by Royal Charter. It makes a quarter of its turnover from publically-funded grant-in-aid; the rest is earned from English teaching, UK exams and services paid for by partnerships with other institutions, brands and companies. Its work is in pursuit of its charitable purpose and creates prosperity and security for the UK and countries it works in around the world. For more information, visit: www.britishcouncil.org.