Calcutta School of Music centenary celebrations to end with concert

The Calcutta School of Music, one of the India’s premier institutions which offer a range of music disciplines, began its centenary celebrations in January 2014 with an inaugural concert at the Raj Bhavan under the then Patron Governor MK Narayanan.

It was established in the year 1915 AD by Dr Phillipe Sandré, a musician of considerable calibre, a contemporary and friend of the famous composer Saint Saëns. 

It is probably the only school in the country which has a wide ranging canvas of musical disciplines covering all Western music disciplines, dance, speech training, elocution, and drama. 

It also has a more nascent Indian Music Section which was inaugurated by Pandit Ravi Shankar in 1975. The School is an important part of the city of Kolkata, providing liberal instruction in musical subjects on one hand, and also arranging orchestral, chamber and solo music training and concerts, as well as music appreciation sessions throughout the year.

This year-long celebration will conclude at Kala Mandir on Sunday, February 28 with a grand performance by internationally renowned musicians of the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra from the Czech Republic who will play along with some members of the Calcutta Chamber Orchestra.

The orchestra will be conducted by Prague-based maestro Debashish Chaudhuri, who was born in Kolkata and was head of music at St. James' School, before he went on to become an internationally acclaimed composer working with both Czech and other international orchestras.

Dickoo Nowroji, President Calcutta School of Music, says: “This is the perfect way for the Calcutta School of Music to conclude its centenary celebrations. We are happy to host the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra and extremely proud that Debashish Chaudhuri, who has had a long association with the city and with our school, will conduct the performance. The Calcutta School of Music is living, breathing centurion. Each day students young, old and in between, pass through its corridors making music. Our desire is to create happy students and healthy citizens of the future.”

Debashish Chaudhuri says: “I am delighted to be conducting the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra for Kolkata and for the Calcutta School of Music’s centenary celebrations. I would like to dedicate this performance to the city where my musical journey began and to my long association with the Calcutta School of Music. I have always loved playing for Kolkata.”

The Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra will perform at 6.00 p.m. on Sunday 28 February 2016 at Kala Mandir Auditorium.