MUSICAL NOTES: Building relations with music

Western Classical Music is one of the most popular forms of music in today's time but is slowly starting to gain its presence in Hyderabad. We got in touch with a few very renowned artists like Rosie Moon, who is known for her magic with the double bass she plays and the Canadian and American actress and soprano Lauren Pearl Eberwein, who is popularly known for her unique operatic soprano voice and passion she adds to the concert whenever she performs. Both share with us about performing for SOTA and in Hyderabad for the very first time, their musical journey and more.

Speaking about performing in India for the very first time, Lauren says, "I feel like I have been here before, although I haven't, maybe in a past life or something, maybe Karmic connection."

Continuing on her journey of getting into singing, she says, "I grew up in Canada on the West coast and I would every day go out and sing to the ocean. And that's how I began; I was lucky enough to have teachers that encouraged me to sing. I studied piano and violin, I have always expressed myself most authentically through song and I have been lucky enough to train at some of the best institutions in the world as well."

Sharing on why she is popularly known on stage as a chameleon, she says, "Yes, I am a chameleon. I am as much an actress as I am a singer, and my job is to tell stories and so I do everything I can to embody the character that I am portraying on stage. Let it be it from the physicality to the way I move to the way that I sing. I want to be as honest and truthful as possible on stage. So, I transform; I am a shape-shifter and that's why I think I have been called a chameleon."

It is not first time in India for 'Double Bass Musician' Rosie Moon, unlike Lauren. Rosie has performed in India before and has been following Anoushka Shankar and Ravi Shankar and Indian Music as well. Speaking to her on performing in India, she says, "It's my third time here. So I came here when I was a student. I went to the Royal College of Music in London and I was invited to come out here to play with the symphony orchestra of India, which is based in Mumbai. I was 20 at the time and now when I am here this is so different I just love the food, everyone is so friendly, I love the classical music and traditional music that's played here, the vibe in the country is amazing."

it was very easy for her to actually make a career in films as a musician and make probably more money as well. Why did she choose to be part of group performances? She says, "Playing with other people and being in this is like this sort of machine where your sense of ego and self is taken away. You make this sound with 80 to 100 people and you do it together with a commitment; going and playing a very physical instrument with lots of friends and going on tour and going away together; it's a whole social community. That's where it came from for me. And what's really important in the future for us is to create those circumstances where young people can go and do that as well from any nationality, and any kind of sound making. I think the genre is just so big and the whole point of music really is community and making music together."

Rosie is also a storyteller while she plays her double bass, she says, "I play the double bass and tell stories at the same time. The spoken word is our first form of communication. And it always will be because music is more ambiguous. You can make music, whatever you want to make of it; you can choose to interpret it the way you want to. But, while storytelling, it's much more apparent and clear while merging those genres and really communicating with an audience about, who I am and what I want to say. And I think is something which we love as children. This is what I think classical music really, or any kind of music needs to carry on doing, telling stories, bringing that to people, giving people the opportunity to live outside of their reality. So it's cathartic I guess."

When asked what was her biggest motivation to come for an event like SOTA 2020, she says, "I think it's like communication with new audiences. It's a place to know, to really create international relations on a different scale, which big people in our world need to know. So, that's why I am here."