Opera singer Amar Muchhala returns to Mumbai

Returning to his native Mumbai, Indian tenor Amar Muchhala will perform for the first time with the Symphony of India chamber orchestra this July.

"It is an exciting yet challenging programme..including rarely heard gems by Mascagni and Cilea along with opera arias by Verdi, Puccini, and Tchaikovsky," Muchhala says of the two-night recital, slated for July 8 at the NCPA and July 10 at the Prithvi Theatre.

Muchhala always knew he had a singing voice. He grew up studying Hindustani classical music and played the harmonium in school in Mumbai. When he left the city to study business and French literature at the undergraduate level in the USA, he never dreamt that he'd one day pursue an operatic career. "I didn't even know what a tenor was until I joined a choir in my college," he admits. "The choirmaster instantly identified me as a tenor and the next thing I know I was singing Bernstein's Chichester Psalms as part of the tenor section. Opera happened to me by accident; I suppose as my voice developed over the years, it naturally lent itself to the operatic genre."

Muchhala, who went on to study the opera at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, made his debut with the KammeroperSchlossRheinsberg in Germany. He performed the tenor lead role of 'George' in Die Weisse Dame by Boieldieu. "To my amazement, I was greeted with the sight of the Indian flag hoisted alongside those of all other countries being represented at the festival - a sight I will never forget," he says. But it is his debut performance in London with the British Youth Opera Company in Mozart's Opera 'The Magic Flute' that has been the most memorable for him. "I played the tenor lead role of 'Tamino'. It was a surreal experience and a dream come true to be part of a wonderful cast accompanied by a wonderful orchestra. My entire family was in the audience and my grandfather was the proudest! Here was a Gujarati boy from a business family from Bombay, singing on stage in London in a performance of The Magic Flute, playing Tamino," recalls Muchhala.

Considering his house debut at Staatsoper Hannover and an upcoming debut at Theatre Magdeburg, the year 2017 has been a rewarding one for Muchhala, who admits that is quite a challenge for him to break into the mainstream. "One hears of Italian Tenors, German tenorsbut, an 'Indian Tenor'? I intend to change that," he says. He looks forward to the prospect of performing some of the most famous roles from operas by Verdi and Puccini. "In fact, the pieces that I will perform in (the Mumbai) concert are representative of the roles that I aspire to perform," reveals Muchhala.