Kolkata Symphony

The association of the Delhi Symphony Orchestra (DSO) with the Mission began in 1969 at the initiation of its founder Ezra Kolet. Since then students from Kolkata would play in Delhi every March and October.

Over the years,about 60 Mission students have played in DSO and are now striking out on their own in Mumbai and Chennai as well. Many of them have settled in Delhi and four of them in fact also formed a string quartet in 1991 for six years. “We started liking Delhi in our visits here,” says Barun Sutar,a violist,who found a permanent place in the DSO in 1992.

And while Sutar,a mechanical engineer by profession,came to Delhi in 1989 after the firm where he was working shut down,it was a job at Gulshan Kumar’s recording studio that drew Rodrick to Delhi from Mumbai in the ’80s. Rodrick and Sutar now teach at the Delhi School of Music. Raja Singh,41,who teaches violin at Performers Collective,owes his musical bent to the Kolkata Mission too. “I was quite dull at mathematics. Father Mathieson made a musician of me,” recalls Singh.

The stay in the city has not been without struggle. Principal cellist of DSO,Mullick says,“I thought of giving up many a time but the love of the instrument and encouragement from classical western listeners kept me going. In my 19 years I have done very few stage performances in Delhi.”

In between teaching students and performing at concerts,he has also jammed with Sufi musician Rabbi Shergill. He is now toying with the idea of building a youth string orchestra with his students,on the lines of the Mission’s Youth Orchestra.

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