Shirish Malhotra a step away from spot in collaborative online orchestra
Nigel Britto
The world’s first collaborative online orchestra, the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, might soon have an Indian member. Shirish Malhotra, a prominent Mumbai musician who happens to be a son of Aldona, has made it to the finals of the massive project, beating thousands of participants from all over the world. This is the second edition of the orchestra, which, once finalized, will play at the prestigious Sydney Opera House in Australia next year.
The roots of the YSO can be traced back to 2008, when leading video-sharing site YouTube invited musicians from different cultures to upload clips of them playing their instruments to serve as audition tapes; these were then perused and filtered by an expert panel, which selected the best contestants and put their names out for public voting. These tapes were then viewed by over 15 million people, who voted for the best in each category and thus selected the members of the orchestra, making it the world’s first truly democratic western classical orchestra. 96 musicians from over 30 countries converged at Carnegie Hall, New York in April, 2009, for a sold-out performance. Famous American conductor Michael Tilson Thomas of the San Francisco Symphony led the pack, and the show also included a special arrangement by iconic Chinese pianist Lang Lang.
The second YTSO, the calls of which were given in October this year, raises the stakes even higher. The project now partners with giants of the classical music world, among whom the Berlin Philharmoniker and London Symphony Orchestra deserve special mention. Also, in addition to the audition videos, musicians this time were also given an opportunity to demonstrate their skill in improvising, as the piece being planned for Sydney, Mothership, by Mason Bates, relies on orchestral improvisation to complete it, and this was one of the criteria based on which some of the finalists were chosen.
Malhotra, whose place in the orchestra now depends on public votes, has played in several leading orchestras such as the Symphony Orchestra of India, Bombay Chamber Orchestra, Sangat Festival Orchestra and the Sri Lankan Symphony Orchestra. He’s also involved in several other musical projects in and around Mumbai, and sometimes trains under Goan flute instructor Susan Badyari. Sackadoodle, as his YouTube avatar goes, appeals that people vote for him.
“It’s great to get this far, and I hope India votes to send me to Sydney”, he told TOI from Kolkata, where he’s participating in a classical guitar festival; “I really want India to make a mark in the international classical music scene and this will be a huge step in that direction”, he adds. The largely self-taught flautist also plays classical guitar, saxophone and violin, and describes himself as an instrument whore. "You give me an instrument, I'll get a tune out of it", he says. Malhotra is also passionate about old Lambretta scooters, and after classical, he loves Brazilian samba and jazz, a preference he attributes in full to his Goan roots.
The roots of the YSO can be traced back to 2008, when leading video-sharing site YouTube invited musicians from different cultures to upload clips of them playing their instruments to serve as audition tapes; these were then perused and filtered by an expert panel, which selected the best contestants and put their names out for public voting. These tapes were then viewed by over 15 million people, who voted for the best in each category and thus selected the members of the orchestra, making it the world’s first truly democratic western classical orchestra. 96 musicians from over 30 countries converged at Carnegie Hall, New York in April, 2009, for a sold-out performance. Famous American conductor Michael Tilson Thomas of the San Francisco Symphony led the pack, and the show also included a special arrangement by iconic Chinese pianist Lang Lang.
The second YTSO, the calls of which were given in October this year, raises the stakes even higher. The project now partners with giants of the classical music world, among whom the Berlin Philharmoniker and London Symphony Orchestra deserve special mention. Also, in addition to the audition videos, musicians this time were also given an opportunity to demonstrate their skill in improvising, as the piece being planned for Sydney, Mothership, by Mason Bates, relies on orchestral improvisation to complete it, and this was one of the criteria based on which some of the finalists were chosen.
Malhotra, whose place in the orchestra now depends on public votes, has played in several leading orchestras such as the Symphony Orchestra of India, Bombay Chamber Orchestra, Sangat Festival Orchestra and the Sri Lankan Symphony Orchestra. He’s also involved in several other musical projects in and around Mumbai, and sometimes trains under Goan flute instructor Susan Badyari. Sackadoodle, as his YouTube avatar goes, appeals that people vote for him.
“It’s great to get this far, and I hope India votes to send me to Sydney”, he told TOI from Kolkata, where he’s participating in a classical guitar festival; “I really want India to make a mark in the international classical music scene and this will be a huge step in that direction”, he adds. The largely self-taught flautist also plays classical guitar, saxophone and violin, and describes himself as an instrument whore. "You give me an instrument, I'll get a tune out of it", he says. Malhotra is also passionate about old Lambretta scooters, and after classical, he loves Brazilian samba and jazz, a preference he attributes in full to his Goan roots.
This article was published in The Times of India, Goa, in its edition dated December 13, 2010.
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