Prutha Goa

Child’s Play (India) Foundation is an NGO that nurtures musical talent among underprivileged children in Goa, giving them a sense of accomplishment and confidence that helps build character and enables them to envision a better future for themselves. The NGO, which was founded by Dr Luis Francisco Dias in 2009, has completed ten years of transformative work.  Child’s Play (India) Foundation (CPIF) has had two major concerts every year since 2014, the Camerata Child’s Play India performed at the Monte Music Festival in 2014, Dr Luis has spoken about CPIF’s work at the INK Talks in 2010 and 2014. Aside from these achievements, CPIF’s work has been highlighted in well-known national and international publications such as the Reader’s Digest , The Hindu and Deutsche Welle . This year’s celebratory events started off with the successful Monsoon Concert on the 21st of September, which had performances by the Baridisi Quartet and the duo of Omar de Loiola Pereira (guitar) and Selwyn Menezes

It is a rare breed of humans who look for more than establishing their own worth and engaging in the pursuit of ambition. Indian-American Lara Saldanha is one of that rare breed. 14 January 2018 saw her playing a benefit concert for Goa’s own Child’s Play (India) Foundation, which was founded by Dr Luis Dias to bring the skill of reproducing Western Classical to underprivileged children on the lines of El Sistema. The 25-year-old pianist entertained the audience with a programme that included works by Bach, Haydn, Clara Schumann, and Messiaen. Lara Saldanha has a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and studied under the acclaimed pianist Alan Chow. She has an additional bachelor’s degree in economics from Northwestern University, USA and is at present in the process of attaining a Master of Music at The New School’s Mannes School of Music in New York City, being mentored by Vladimir Valjarević. An accomplished pianist in her own right, Lara has won prizes at competitions such as Gen

ProMusica brought Goa an excellent performance by musicians Rupert Boyd and Laura Metcalf on the 7th of September 2016. Western classical music is a finely nuanced art form not particularly endemic to Goa. There have been efforts to generate an interest in this genre of music but few seem interested in what is generally considered the taste of the upper classes. This is, however, a thoroughly unfair representation. It is true that some amount of education in the area does help one appreciate Western classical music more effectively. Nonetheless, a true music lover could easily tune into the notes and enjoy the musical scores despite being ignorant of the details of the same. In Goa we are blessed to have groups like ProMusica that promote Western classical music and allow us the opportunity to experience music at a refined level. It is a pity that most Goans do not take the opportunity offered to them at a negligible cost. The audience that did take advantage of the ProMusica presented

Rarely is it witnessed that Goan potential is tapped to take it to international standards. This could only be achieved by someone who has had training of a high degree, someone who can gauge latent talent where others might be dismissing of the same. Choir master Santiago Lusardo Girelli, a native of Brazil, is one such person. Goa University has provided an opportunity to international educators and scholars to enrich their students and enquiring minds with knowledge of various subjects. These academics are welcomed by the Visiting Research Professors Programme (VRPP). In maestro Girelli’s case, it is specifically the Anthony Gonsalves Research Professorship in Western Music that brought him to Goa University. Girelli has an interesting background. An Argentinian of Italian origin, he has been a student of music and philosophy from his early years and has built a career patterned on these two spheres of knowledge. He is a choir and orchestra master, a performer in his own right and a