Nigel Britto
Goa's most famous classical music export will soon add yet another feather to her cap. Patricia Rozario, the critically-acclaimed, London-based opera star who originally hails from Assagao, was recently confirmed to the prestigious fellowship of the Royal College of Music (RCM), thereby becoming the first Goan and only the second Indian (after Zubin Mehta in 1989) to feature on the list.
A letter Rozario received from Colin Lawson, director of the institution, states: "It gives me great pleasure to inform you that on the recommendation of the Council of the Royal College of Music, our president, Charles, The Prince of Wales, has graciously approved the nomination for you to become a fellow of the Royal College of Music."
The formal presentation of the fellowship will take place next spring, when Rozario receives the award from Prince Charles in a traditional ceremony in London. On that day, she will sign a document that puts her on par with the fellowship's past awardees, some of whom are now recognized as stalwarts in their respective fields. Apart from Mehta, one of the modern era's finest conductors, the RCM's elite list also contains its fair share of legends from around the world.
American violin virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin, who gained popularity in India in the late-20th century after his association with Ravi Shankar, is among the RCM's more prominent fellows. Others Rozario will share space with include composers Benjamin Britten and Richard Strauss, musical theatre king Andrew Lloyd Webber, cellist Edward Elgar, pianist Arthur Rubinstein, conductor Arturo Toscanini, and tenor Placido Domingo.
"It (the fellowship) is a great honour, and I will be able to put the letters FRCM after my name, after the ceremony next spring," a jubilant Rozario, who is presently in Mumbai, told TOI. Royal honours, however, are not new to the soprano. She had previously been awarded the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth-II in 2001.
Meanwhile, Rozario, whose 'Giving voice to India' project attempts to identify and train young opera talent in the country, will hold a five-day workshop in Goa later this month. One of its beneficiaries, Oscar Castellino, is another Goan who had a tryst with royalty—in June, he, along with the RCM choir and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, serenaded Queen Elizabeth-II on a barge on the Thames, as she celebrated 60 years as the Monarch of England.
A letter Rozario received from Colin Lawson, director of the institution, states: "It gives me great pleasure to inform you that on the recommendation of the Council of the Royal College of Music, our president, Charles, The Prince of Wales, has graciously approved the nomination for you to become a fellow of the Royal College of Music."
The formal presentation of the fellowship will take place next spring, when Rozario receives the award from Prince Charles in a traditional ceremony in London. On that day, she will sign a document that puts her on par with the fellowship's past awardees, some of whom are now recognized as stalwarts in their respective fields. Apart from Mehta, one of the modern era's finest conductors, the RCM's elite list also contains its fair share of legends from around the world.
American violin virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin, who gained popularity in India in the late-20th century after his association with Ravi Shankar, is among the RCM's more prominent fellows. Others Rozario will share space with include composers Benjamin Britten and Richard Strauss, musical theatre king Andrew Lloyd Webber, cellist Edward Elgar, pianist Arthur Rubinstein, conductor Arturo Toscanini, and tenor Placido Domingo.
"It (the fellowship) is a great honour, and I will be able to put the letters FRCM after my name, after the ceremony next spring," a jubilant Rozario, who is presently in Mumbai, told TOI. Royal honours, however, are not new to the soprano. She had previously been awarded the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth-II in 2001.
Meanwhile, Rozario, whose 'Giving voice to India' project attempts to identify and train young opera talent in the country, will hold a five-day workshop in Goa later this month. One of its beneficiaries, Oscar Castellino, is another Goan who had a tryst with royalty—in June, he, along with the RCM choir and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, serenaded Queen Elizabeth-II on a barge on the Thames, as she celebrated 60 years as the Monarch of England.
This article was first published on The Times of India, Goa, on July 13, 2012.
