Briefly tell us about your association with Casio and
the journey so far. musician, as i think it is a responsibility to the next
generation.
The first ever keyboard i ever played was a Casio VL
Tone..Casio has also been part of some of my most exotic
platforms and journeys. I would say it has been integral to
my life. How important do you think music education is in
India?
What are some of your favorite products of Casio and why?
I love the Privia and also the AP 450 and 650 for the purity
of tone and near piano clarity. I would say this is far
superior to any other digital piano in the market today.
Casio's property The Pianist is a great platform
for pianists across India. What's your take on this
opportunity?
Working with children is a big part of my life. Encouraging
the next generation of musicians, specifcally pianists - is
very much a part of my agenda. The Pianist is unique in its
conception and will be a big boost to young pianists across
the country. The plethora of opportunities that do exist are
mainly for singing talent. It is high time we encouraged
budding pianists.
In short, tell us what is this competition about and
what makes it unique?
This competition seeks out young pianists. The piano has
a number of takers in India. We have adapted it to Indian
music in addition to jazz and Western classical music.
It is not wrong to say that the piano has a strong Indian
tradition now. This competition specifically seeks to
identify that.
Moreover it is going to all parts of the country as opposed
to being Mumbai centric. There is piano talent all over the
country and it is unfair that we do not recognize that.
The TN edition goes to 8 cities across Tamil Nadu. This
has never been attempted. Furthermore it is encouraging
talent across technical groups - beginner, intermediate and
advanced levels of piano playing.
Why do you think one must participate in this
competition and what do the winners get?
I think participating in this will start a
revolution for piano playing. We need to
assert the importance of the instrument as
well as its versatility.
Winners will get a piano, a chance
to tour with me and a TV
appearance - in short, launch
of a professional career for
advanced levels of piano
playing. I am doing
this as a senior
It was always an integral part of living and learning,
especially in the South. The past three decades have seen
a decline..i believe that people need to understand music-
in-education differently from music education. The former
looks at music as a holistic intelligence facilitator while the
latter looks at performance. The former is essential to ALL
children. I set up Rhapsody to address that as a service to
schools. We work with 216000 kids today!
How do you intend spreading the Piano culture in the
country as a well-established and recognized musician?
Since I do work with over 200 primary and secondary
schools already, I intend to spread awareness and interest
in the topic. I am deeply ensconced in the education
space including among the economically disadvantaged.
Initiatives such as The Pianist should be undertaken more
and more.
How do you think a musician must leverage the
Digital space and how have you done so?
There is no escaping it. Digital is the space to be in for
learning, collaboration and sharing. I have worked on
learning videos for Casio exclusively for FB and instagram
and these have worked superbly. I have two channels on
YouTube (Anil Srinivasan and Anil Talkies). I am also still
a learner on this space and will be doing more teaching in
the time to come.
Tell us about your upcoming music albums
I have Carnatic collaborations with Sikkil Gurucharan and
Jayanthi Kumaresh coming out in addition to Hindustani
work with Rakesh Chaurasia.
Live In Colombo, my initial foray into a more
contemporary sound will also be online by June..
Your message to our readers
Enjoy music in all forms..music is life
When & in which cities will the auditions for the
Pianist be held in?
Event Dates City
Prelims 19th & 20th Jan, 2019 Chennai
27th Jan, 2019 (Sunday) Tirunelveli
02nd Feb, 2019 (Saturday) Trichy
03rd Feb, 2019 (Sunday) Madurai
16th Feb, 2019 (Saturday) Coimbatore
17th Feb, 2019 (Sunday) Salem
24th Feb, 2019 (Sunday) Chennai
Finale
The
Score Magazine
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