Interview published in 'Espresso'

Hey guys, sorry it's been a while since my last post. Life has been crazy as usual here in Madras, but I also got the flu from hell and was out for about 2 weeks hugging my blanket and coughing up a lung. Anyhow, this is the second interview that was published about me after the TEDx event. ON A HIGH NOTE

Bel Canto - Kavita Baliga may not be a native of the city, but with her magical voice, she is currently a part of A.R. Rahman's musical conservatory.  A survivor by all means, the immensely talented opera singer opens up to Divya Nair on her journey over the years.

On her interest in opera singing

My Hindustani teacher suggested that I join my high school choir to get an idea of both styles of music; East and West.  I absolutely adored my choir teacher, and after starting private voice lessons, I eventually applied to university for vocal performance.  My inspiration when I was really young was probably Julie Andrews (which sounds totally cheesy) but The Sound of Music was my favourite film till I was in my teens.  Then when I saw Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyed Webber in San Francisco, I was totally hooked.

On battling cancer at an early age

The experience of going through cancer treatment was ironically the most inspiring and motivating factor in my life.  It made me realize the true incredible capacity of human beings.  Treatment really motivated me to live each day as if it were my last and it really encouraged me to LIVE.  I tried to do things that were outside the box - things that would have made me feel uncomfortable before treatment, like acting in UCI's production of The Vagina Monologues which ended up being an unforgettable experience.

The experience of working in Rahman's Music Conservatory

It's been the most fulfilling and exciting experience of my life.  My favourite experience working with AR thus far was on Shekhar Kapur's short film Passage.  I sung the aria from that film at the premiere in Venice, Italy, during the Venice Film Festival.  The whole experience was overwhelming and to be honest, completely terrifying.  I loved every minute of it!  Since I've been in Chennai, I've done a lot of background work for AR's film scores and if you ever hear an ethereal operatic voice in the background of any of his Hindi or Tamil songs, that's probably me.

On opera singing in Chennai

Although for the most part it's quite a foreign genre for people in India, the audience for western classical music is definitely developing as we speak.  Also, I was shocked at how quickly some of my students have picked up the operatic style of singing.  Students have such a fantastic ear to pick up new styles and genres.  Once people are more exposed to western classical music, fantastic things are going to happen not only in the western classical world, but also with the possibility of fusion music and collaborations.

Future Plans

I definitely believe in taking one day at a time.  I will stay in the same place as long as my criteria are being fulfilled which are:  

A. Am I benefiting others?  

B.  Am I learning from the experience and benefiting from it myself? 

C.  Is my career progressing?  

If the answer is yes to all of the above, I'll stay.  If at some point it starts to shift, I'll leave. Right now, it's a happy and firm YES.

TEDx CHENNAI

A couple of weeks after the TEDIndia conference in Mysore, a man named Kiruba called me and asked if I would like to speak at the TEDx Chennai event. I immediately refused. I'm not good at speaking, I thought. I've never done anything like that before, and more importantly, what would I speak about?? I had no idea. But Kiruba kept pressing, kept calling, and kept motivating me to speak. And finally, after a LOT of persuasion, I agreed. I agreed to speak for five minutes followed by a short performance.

--------------------------------------

I’m not here to talk about social programs, or women’s rights, or anything I’ve invented. I’m not going to try and promote anything or sell anything. All I can offer you is a story about my journey.

Almost 5 years ago, I got “The Call.” I feel like everyone, at some point or another, gets a call that changes their life. For me, that call came at two o’clock in the afternoon on June 9, 2004. My doctor told me that the cells they had removed from my neck were indicative of Lymphoma. Now, you have to understand that I was a typical 21 year old college student – the world revolved around me, I was a self-proclaimed hippy; making my own clothes, cutting my own hair, eating organic food, (I’m from California, if you haven’t already guessed)… I had no idea what Lymphoma meant. I had never known anyone who had had cancer. He told me I would have to move home and go through treatment. My response was “Can I do it here? Because like, I’m enrolled in summer classes and like, I really want to hang out with my friends this summer.” He said… “You probably won’t be taking classes this summer.”

So I looked it up immediately. I didn’t know what to think or how to react. I just remember holding my breath for a really long time. I didn’t know how to tell my parents, and I couldn’t do it for a couple of weeks. I figured hey, the doctor’s could be WRONG, right? I only told my mother after the results came in from my second biopsy at which point it was confirmed that I had Stage 2A Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

The following six months of chemotherapy and radiation involved a whirlwind of infusions, injections, medications, steroids, transfusions and a lot of other fun stuff that probably doesn’t need mentioning. During the long hours that I spent in bed, on my back, staring at the ceiling, and with the aid of some really strong medication, I started to feel panic. This can’t be it, I would think. There’s so much that I want to do. There’s so much I haven’t done. I haven’t left my mark.

What began as an incredibly dire situation, actually ended up doing me a whole lot of good. All of a sudden I felt motivated to do things I had never done before. It’s amazing how we react when we realize we’re running out of time.
I started painting – and the paintings that I created during this time are my absolute favorite. I started experimenting with photography. I taught myself how to play the guitar. I started composing classical music as well as popular music. I remember at one point I ran up to my mother and said “Mom! I’m going to write a THESIS.” And she said “that’s nice, but about what?” And I said “I have no idea, but I’M GONNA WRITE ONE!” I was sick during the 2004 presidential elections and instead of reacting in a surface level, hippy-esque, peace rally type of way, I actually tried to understand the ideas, the concepts, the motivations behind the candidates. I learned how to cook well and make food look beautiful.

I returned to university in 2005 to finish my music degree. Because the radiation treatment I had was directly on my neck and lungs, I really had no idea whether I would be able to sing again. The doctors didn’t know either. But I had to try.

In 2005 I auditioned and was admitted to L’academie de Musique Tibor Varga for a summer program commemorating the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth. The same year I joined the Intimate Opera Company in Los Angeles and was a chorus member in the comic opera Trial By Jury. In 2006 I mixed and produced my first cd which is now available on iTunes and Rhapsody online. The same year I was admitted to The Boston Conservatory to earn my graduate degree in Vocal Performance. In 2007 I co-founded a non-profit organization called Uplifted: Art Perpetuating Hope. We put on our first event that year which involved art galleries, dramatic monologues, photography galleries, and classical as well as popular music – the prerequisite being that all of the art involved had to represent or promote an aspect of social change or hope for a better future. In 2008 I met a man named “Guitar Prasanna” – those of you who are into Carnatic music probably know of him. He’s this crazy eclectic man who plays Carnatic music and jazz on electric guitar. He had worked with A.R. Rahman on the score for the film Lagaan a few years prior. After doing a concert with Prasanna, he recommended me for a position at AR’s music conservatory here in Chennai. I am currently a vocal teacher, choir conductor and recording artist at KM Conservatory in Kodambakkam, Chennai. Since being here I’ve had the opportunity of working with AR on multiple projects, including singing an aria for Shekhar Kapur’s short film Passage. I sang the aria at the premiere of the film at the Venice Film Festival in September.
In 2009, I also became, a TEDFellow.

So why am I telling you all this? I’m telling you this because going through cancer treatment was ironically the most inspiring, and motivating factor in my life. It made me realize the true incredible capacity of human beings. We as people are capable of doing amazing things. We are capable of changing ourselves in the course of 6 months – and because of that, I know that we are capable of changing others, and ultimately, changing the world. Going to TED in Mysore was proof of the staggering talent and strength of the people we share the world with. The more I live, the more beauty I see in people, the more good I see in people, and the more I realize that all we want is to be happy – and a big part of happiness is fulfillment. So I urge you in whichever field you’re in, to use it in a way that affects people.

Because the kind of fulfillment you get from affecting others, is limitless.

---------------------------------------

And then, I sang. It was probably one of the WORST (and I mean WORST) performances of my life. Why? Well as you know, I'm not good at public speaking, so what I did would probably count more as public "reading." But because the topic at hand was so private, and so emotional, I felt a vulnerability so intense that I completely broke down during my speech. Not only was I a nervous wreck about speaking, but the topic itself made me quiver. Immediately after opening the flood gates, I had to sing, what is now becoming my signature aria, the "Laughing Aria" from the opera Die Fledermaus. I had asked for a piano for Andrew (my colleague and friend) to play, but the organizers could only come up with an electric keyboard - not even a full sized electric keyboard. To top it off, before I went up to speak, both Andrew and I had to go in for hair and makeup and they randomly gave him a mohawk. Yes. A mohawk. Why? No idea. But there was no time to complain.

Then to REALLY top it off... get ready for this... the electric keyboard's "piano" function wasn't working, so I sang the laughing aria to... drum roll please... weird carnival bell sounds. The whole performance was so ridiculous that I ended up having a whole lot of fun while simultaneously praying that no one would ever see that footage. So far, so good.

The response was very positive and I have Kiruba to thank for forcing me to step out of my comfort zone and take on a new challenge.

Interviews

After the TEDIndia Fellows were announced, and it came out that I work for A.R. Rahman, and especially after I gave my TEDx Chennai speech, I was approached by quite a few people asking if they could do interviews.  The following is the first interview that appeared in the "What's HOT" section of the Chennai Times on Jan. 8 2010.

SINGING A DIFFERENT TUNE

What's Hot talks to western classical singer Kavita Baliga, who is currently a faculty at AR Rahman’s music conservatory.

M SUGANTH
Times News Network

How did you come to be involved with KM Music Conservatory?
I speak Konkani. Every couple of years, the Konkani Association of California organise cultural conventions where Konkanis from all over North America come together and participate in discussions, seminars and programmes designed to promote Konkani/Indian culture for second generation Konkanis. During one such convention, they had invited “Guitar” Prasanna to perform. Since he lives in Boston and I was in Boston at the time, we came together to collaborate and perform for this event. Prasanna had worked on the film Lagaan with AR Rahman a couple of years earlier. After the convention, Prasanna went to Chennai where AR had mentioned to him that they were looking for a western voice teacher for his conservatory. Prasanna recommended me for the position and a week and a half later, I was in India!

Was teaching always a passion and what does teaching music mean to you?
At first, I thought teaching would be an interim activity and that my real focus would be on performing. Now that I’m teaching full-time, I’m realising how much I love it and how incredibly fulfilling it is to give a part of yourself to others and see them take it and flourish with it. I learned very quickly that teaching music is not like teaching math or science. It is much more abstract and requires a lot of self-awareness, a good voice, and a good ear. I love the fact that we are bringing something to India that hasn’t really existed here before. That, in itself, is daily motivation for me.

How would you rate the awareness level of Indian youngsters with respect to western classical music?
Oh, there’s absolutely zero awareness. Almost 99 per cent of my students had no prior exposure to western classical music; not only that, most of them had never even heard of the genres involved within that title. For example, if I mentioned the words ‘Opera’ or ‘Lieder’, I would be met with a blank. The only western music these students had heard before is what we call American bubblegum pop.

How did you become a part of 'Passage'? Could you share your experiences working with Shekhar Kapur?
I worked directly with AR on the aria for Passage. I met Shekhar much later, at one of the rehearsals for my performance at the premiere of the film in Venice.  I don’t know him well, but what I saw of him, I absolutely loved. He seemed totally and utterly incapable of small talk and was constantly speaking in the abstract. I’m uncomfortable and awkward with small talk myself; so, it was a welcome surprise. It’s so refreshing to have real conversations with people.

How is it working with AR Rahman and what do you think is so unique about him as a composer?
His style of working is not nearly as rigid as most western composers. First of all, he doesn’t put anything down on paper. Most of the time, he plays me something or sings me something and asks me to repeat it, or says something like ‘Can it be more flowy?’, and just directs me as we go along. When I worked with him on the aria, I found myself suggesting things and then thinking to myself, ‘Wait, should I be doing that? Am I way out of line right now?’ But he never makes you feel like that. He truly makes you feel as if you’re both collaborating on the project, not as if you’re working for him. And that was the case before as well as after he won the Oscar. I think that is truly unique for someone in his position.

You are involved in other creative arts as well. How do you manage to be a multi-tasker?
I absolutely love working like hell. I love being busy and seeing the fruits of my labor. The arts are like a form of meditation for me. They keep me sane. I feel calm as I go into a zone when I’m singing, taking pictures, painting, or even cooking for that matter. I love that when I’m doing these things my mind can just go blank.