NAGPUR: To discover new talent in classical vocal and instrumental
music, South Central Cultural Zone has organized a competition for young
musicians in age group of 18 to 35 years. The
contest was started last year to coincide with Dr Vasantrao Deshpande Smriti Sangeet Samaroh and was limited to five states that the centre represents.
This year the competition went national.
“Our aim is to provide a platform to young musicians. The winners of this contest are offered a stage at the Deshpande music festival,” Piush Kumar, director of the centre, informed.
The contest, which is being held from July 23 to 29 at the centre, has musicians of both
Hindustani and
Carnatic style taking part. The performances begin around 10am with a jury of four distinguished musicians
Pt. Satish Vyas, Pt Uday Bhawalkar, Shankar Namboothiri and Balaji Trivendrum V judging the contestants.
“We will select the top three musicians and they could be from any of the genres,” Kumar said explaining that as the number of participants could vary in Hindustani, Carnatic or instrumental styles, so picking up one from each would not provide an even contest. “The 2 lakh prize money is the highest offered to any contestant in the country in classical music,” he said.
The centre is buzzing with contestants practising before their performances. “This is a unique platform and very competitive, considering the number of participants,” said Kedar Kelkar, a young singer from Pune. The event is also about getting to know other classical musicians pursuing this form, feels Pushkar Mahajan, a tabla player. “I am getting to know what others are learning,” he said.
Getting to evaluate her performance by comparing it with others is what Aasawari Salmohkar, a singer from Latur, is happy about. “This contest has broken the myth that youngsters today are not learning classical music,” she said. Describing the prize money as extremely significant, Dhrupad singer from Gwalior Yakhlesh Baghil said, “It is a very big amount but more than winning, it is performing before a distinguished jury that is important for me.” The scale of contest is what Shalaka Retkar, a vocalist from Mumbai is admiring. “This is a national level contest and I am getting to see what people in the North are learning,” she added.
“All these contestants will be prominent names in the world of music over the next five years,” Kumar said describing the quality and level of contestants. The final results will be announced on July 29.