Scores and encores

Despite the rains, it was a packed house at Hyderabad Public School as Hyderabadis celebrated World Music Day on Saturday. Organised by Alliance Française, Goethe-Zentrum and Hyderabad Western Music Foundation. People across  age-groups performed foot-tapping numbers from different genres.  HPS ‘Vigil Band’ kick-started the evening with Blues’ standards like Feeling Good and Get Back. Siddharth Bhendi, 17, the school’s best singer is inspired by Ed Sheeran and Coldplay.

While the band’s drummer Sushant, 16, wants to build his own identity and be a role model to others.‘Turning Point’’s three witty 11-year-olds enthralled the audience. “We performed Dangerous, 300 and All Alone,” informs  Shashank R., who has been writing songs since he was nine. “We formed our band four months ago. This was our first stage show. We compose and write our own  songs,” adds Rishiram. “I hope we go to the same college in the US. Still, it’s five years away. A lot could change,” says Arjun Daggubati.

Nine-year-old Saachi Chennur was a firecracker on stage. Singing Alicia Keys’ Girl On Fire, the youngest singer got the loudest cheers. “I’ve never learnt singing, though I go for violin classes. My mother is into music so that’s how I got interested,” says Saachi.It wasn’t just the young ones who entertained. Ranjit Mathew, 75, who was part of the group ‘4 Him’ too performed. He says, “Though I have been a choir singer since I was six, I never took up music professionally.

But I would not know what to do if I didn’t have music after my retirement” His group performed without any instrument. “This is an African spiritual performance, where no instruments are used, these were performed by African slaves in America,” he says. ‘Classically Mild’ were the evening’s highlight with their medley of AR Rahman and Illaiyaraja songs. The event became truly global, when students from Madagascar, Ando Rabemanantsoa and Myora Ramanantsoa, performed.