Random notes, beyond borders

Vijay Upadhyaya of the Vienna Vocal Concert auditioned students from Delhi schools for a upcoming musical.

Istanbul may be nearer to Lucknow, but Vijay Upadhyaya has traversed the distance via Vienna. For, Upadhyaya is in Istanbul as part of an Austrian Foreign Ministry project to teach western classical music in the conservatories of Turkey.

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Turkey is the second country after Italy where he has been giving such lessons, outside Austria. His discerning ear that can differentiate between a Mozart and a Beethoven brought him to the Capital recently. He auditioned students from reputed Delhi schools for a musical to be staged here sometime next year.

“It will be an Indo-Austrian collaborative effort, with nearly 40 Austrian musicians and students also participating in the play,” says Upadhyaya. “I’ve come across some amazing talent here, though unfortunately there aren’t enough teachers for western classical music. The Austrian musicians will give these children the right direction.”

As the artistic director of the Vienna Vocal Concert, which he founded in 1995, conducting is all in a day’s work for Upadhyaya. In fact, the first time he conducted a choir was for his school in Lucknow when he was just 14.

A scholarship took this graduate from Lucknow University to Graz, Austria, where he specialised in Renaissance vocal music. Thus started a musical journey that has taken him on concerts all over the world. He has also recorded many CDs but what gives Upadhyaya the greatest kick is “the content look on a student’s face on overcoming a particularly different note”. For Upadhyaya it is mission accomplished.