For the love of Indian music

Despite having performed around the world, musician David Wacheux found India particularly intriguing. The country’s classical music and its unique culture attracted this violinist so much that he made his mind to settle in Puducherry five years back.

During his stay, David, who hails from France, has performed all over the country and collaborated with prominent musicians. Apart from this, he has also been teaching violin to young music aspirants, and was even a teacher in AR Rahman’s music school for over two years. In a conversation with DC, he speaks about his experience as an expat, his career, and more.

“For the past 15 years, I have been travelling all over the world performing jazz and French music. However, the visit to India was a huge learning experience and I completely fell in love with classical music. As Puducherry has a significant French population, I decided to settle here,” begins David. Speaking about how the experience has been so far, he says, “It’s been very satisfying — both personally and professionally,” adding, “Work wise, I’ve been collaborating with tabla and sitar musicians, which has always been my dream. And personally, I have adapted very well to Indian culture — in fact I only eat food such as idli, dosai, parotta, and biryani everyday!”

David, who was a part of A R Rahman’s music school as a teacher, admits that he is a huge fan of the Music maestro and says he enjoyed the experience — “Music is evolving in India, and Rahman’s school is a very good example to reinstate the fact. Teaching youngsters was a great experience and the talent is very good here. I expect many of the kids to go on and achieve greater things. This stint also gave me an opportunity to know more about Rahman up close. I’ve been a fan of him since I heard Jai Ho.”

Apart from performing in various concerts in Chennai and Puducherry, David also regularly performs around the country. He even conducted a workshop for musicians in Mumbai. Speaking about how the response has been so far, he says, “The best thing about Indians is that they know music and they’re also open to various genres. Irrespective of me playing violin or saxophone, French or jazz music, people always come forward with encouraging words and share useful tips.”

Though his busy schedule doesn’t let him travel as much as he would have liked, David lists his favourite destinations. “I would like to explore the whole of Tamil Nadu, but I just don’t get time. Among the places I have visited, I love Thanjavur and     Chidambaram. I love the temple architecture in these places,” he muses.
On a concluding note, when we ask him how long he wishes to continue his stay in the country, he replies, “Frankly, I don’t know. I’m not the kind of person who thinks a lot about the future. I’ll continue to explore and enjoy this amazing country till I stay here.”