Prutha Goa

The journey towards the Ketevan World Sacred Music Festival begins with the birth of an idea to promote peaceful coexistence, an ambitious project spearheaded by Professor Santiago Lusardi Girelli who has been part of the Visiting Research Professor Programme of the Anthony Gonsalves Chair in Western Music for the last two years. ‘Last year we had some collaborations with a sitar player, a table player, a bansuri player, an Indian singer. So from those experiences I thought we should try to build a full festival of sacred worship,’ says Prof Girelli of his motivation to bring different traditions and religious music together under one standard. It started with initial discussions about the venture with Goa University, some members of the Goa University Choir and Rudolf Ludwig Kammermeier, who partners with Prof Girelli in his work in Goa. Later the project was broached with the Church in Goa, the Archaeological Survey of India, some European universities, the Government of Goa, and the

India is very fortunate to have talent galore. From time to time, this is a country that has gifted prodigies to the world. Marialena Fernandes is one of our shining examples in the sphere of music. Her fingers run effortlessly across the piano keys, evoking the classical masters as well as entertaining with improvisational compositions and fusion music. Needless to say, this native of Mangaluru (Mangalore), who has laid claim to her Goan roots, enthralled her audience at the Art Chamber in Calangute in the month of February, 2015. She was in India on tour with the folk group Hotel Palindrome. Though she was born and bred in Mumbai, she seems to have a strong affinity towards Goa and supports her Goan ancestry, citing her own research and history saying, ‘The Mangaloreans were Goans, who left Goa for several reasons in the late 16th century.’ Marialena’s talent was discovered at a very tender age. She says, ‘My mother reminds me that I dared to correct her wrong note on the piano, when