Opera creating a niche in India: Anando Mukherjee

Opera is making inroads into Indian cities with local audience developing an ear for the western music genre as well as singers taking it up and making a mark on the global platform, says an Indian opera singer.
"Opera is not that famous in India but it does have its home in Mumbai at the NCPA Opera House where there is a dedicated audience. There are also niche audiences in Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai. Of course, the challenge is to broaden opera's appeal," says Anando Mukerjee, a Delhi-bred, London-based artist and a rising star in operatic music.
Mukherjee, a true Italianate lyric tenor and his operatic roles include Rodolfo, Alfredo, the Duke of Mantua, Macduff, Pinkerton, Nemorino and Cavaradossi. He is also an accomplished recitalist and has a large and varied oratorio repertoire.

"The tenor is the highest natural male voice in operatic music. Among tenors there are various types and I am an Italianate lirico-spinto tenor, one of the rarest and highly prized voice types known for not only the beauty of its timbre but also for its thrilling and powerful quality," says Mukerjee.
The singer performed live in concert here recently.
Having trained in Europe for several years privately with some of the finest vocal pedagogues in the world including Nicolai Gedda, one of the greatest living tenors of the 20th century, he holds the distinction of being the only Indian tenor to date to have made operatic and concert debuts at leading international venues.

"I am very fortunate to be able to bring opera to India. With highly educated, upwardly mobile and burgeoning middle class being the target audience, and the power of Bollywood and social media, there is no doubt that opera will find a new home in India with a distinctly Indian narrative which Indians can be justly proud of," says Mukerjee.