Grammy winner Kevin Fox to impart western classical training in India

Grammy award winner Kevin Fox arrived in the capital on Saturday to impart western classical training to students of music schools.

The musician has been on over 40 choir tours to almost 50 states and to six continents.

He has prepared choirs for most of the world's leading orchestral conductors and has collaborated with numerous choirs and artistes including San Francisco Symphony Chorus, Kronos Quartet, Tolzer Knabenchor, Dmitri Hvorostovky, Harvard Men's Glee Club, cellist Zoe Keating.

As part of Classical Movements' India Choral Fellowship (ICF), the musician is here till February 20 to lead workshops and master classes at the Delhi School of Music, Capital City Minstrels and Neemrana Foundation.

At Capital City Minstrels, he will be there as a distinguished guest conductor and will be present in a series of workshops for the ensemble.

He will be assisting the Neemrana Foundation with its youth educational programmes, including a choir of boys sponsored by the Blind Relief Association, to train choral teachers and to work with the foundation's Opera Chorus for their upcoming production of Rossini's Cenerentola.

Despite the growing number of schools for children, there is no university course or programme to teach choral singing, or even a way to teach teachers how to teach choral music, according to Classical Movements President Neeta Helms.

Helms said: "The demand grows and remains. I was struck by how many Indians call for training, and for skilled teachers to come and help teach and conduct. Hence, we have started ICF as a way of meeting that demand."

"We made an announcement shortly after my visit, asking for volunteers to do a sabbatical in India, and we heard from over thirty choral conductors from around the world, many distinguished former clients of ours," she added.

"India holds a dear place in my heart. It is my hope that with ICF, Classical Movements can inspire a new cohort of musicians in India and, far from abandoning old ways, blend with the ancient traditions that make India so unique, to forge a new horizon for classical music in India," she explained.

Fox has previously conducted ICF workshops at Madras Musical Association, Madras Youth Choir and KM Conservatory in Chennai in January 2017.

--IANS

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