From The President, The Music Academy  Madras

The new season is all set to begin, taking off from last year's highly successful one, though it will be on a rather sobering note. For, it takes place under the shadow of the deadliest and most audacious terror attack India has witnessed. Our hearts go out to the innocent victims of the brutal carnage and the brave persons who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty and all their families. The forthcoming music season can, perhaps, provide a degree of solace and create an uplifting and transcendental experience in the aftermath of the brutal carnage. It could also help turn one's thoughts away from the continuing global economic and financial meltdown that has impacted India too. In these troubled times, Chennai's famed music festival, could at least help strike soothing notes of peace, goodwill and harmony.

Against this background, it is heartening to find such an overwhelming response from rasikas even on the very first day the Academy's counters opened for season ticket sales. It is also a matter of great reassurance and satisfaction to us that quality classical musical fare in an excellent ambience will always find appreciative audiences in large numbers.

The festival's resounding success has been largely due to the splendid co-operation of our members and rasikas and artistes and the generous support of our sponsors and advertisers. The involvement and exemplary teamwork displayed by all our colleagues on the Committee needs to be highlighted. The Academy counts itself fortunate in getting the help of so many committed and selfless volunteers. This year the whole team will strive to do even better and address shortcomings, if any, of the previous years.

 

Elections  2008
As members are aware, a new committee was elected unopposed at the Annual General meeting held on 29th June 2008.

Our entire team of elected members of the Committee is extremely grateful to the members for their overwhelming and unstinted support and for having reposed so much confidence in it by electing an entire team unopposed perhaps, for the first time in the last thirty years. Those of us who are currently charged with the responsibility of steering the affairs of this great institution take this opportunity to gratefully acknowledge the tremendous contribution to the cause of this august institution of the following erstwhile office bearers/committee members, who laid down their office at the Annual General Meeting held in June 2008. Their long association with the institution and their tireless efforts over the years particularly during the period when the institution was going through trying times need to be highlighted and appreciated: — Shri. M.S.Pattabhi Raman, Smt. Mano Baktavatsalam, Ms. Maitreyi Ramadorai, Shri. M.S.Venkataraman, Dr. V.V.Srivatsa, Shri D.R.Santhanam and Shri. K.Mahesh.

In their vacancies, the following persons have been elected.

Shri Habibullah Badsha, Shri R.Seshasayee, Shri R.Srinivasan, Dr. Pappu Venugopala Rao, Shri R.TChari, Smt. Chithra Madhavan and Shri S.Raghavan.

Academy's infrastructure improvements
As members and rasikas are aware, the on-going infrastructure upgrading and modernization programme during the last three years has created a vastly enhanced ambience. All this has been possible through the great and spontaneous generosity of the wonderful donors in the cause of this great institution. We have earlier handsomely acknowledged every single donor for making this endeavour possible.

Significant improvements to infrastructure have been made since last year's annual conference and concerts.

 

Balcony seats :
As promised the balcony seats have been replaced with modern and comfortable ones from a reputed firm in New Delhi together with carrying out the necessary flooring work.

It may be particularly pointed out that in the balcony necessary civil work had also to be carried out to make the very high rising steps less steep and to provide greater space and legroom for all the rows of seats. This has been done keeping in mind both comfort and safety aspects. It is particularly gratifying to note that the ambience in the balcony with excellent acoustics and very comfortable seating has been significantly enhanced. It is hoped that members and rasikas will greatly enjoy and appreciate the facilities at the balcony. Adequate flooring lights have been provided for the comfort of our members and rasikas in the balcony as in the ground floor.

 

Airconditioning :
A new, modern, energy saving and efficient airconditioning system has just been installed and commissioned and we are very confident that this would make the ambience inside our auditorium very pleasant and extremely comfortable.

 

Painting of the premises :
M/s.Nippon Paints have graciously come forward to supply free of cost the materials required for painting of the entire premises and the Committee is extremely thankful to them for this gesture.
The work of painting, long overdue, has been completed in all respects and with the hoardings gone, the Academy's fine building is now back to its full grandeur.

It may be pointed out that the design, execution and completion of the various improvements to the infrastructure of the Academy following tight schedules would not have been possible without the magnificent support and help of Shri. P.T.Krishnan, one of Chennai's leading architects with the various suppliers, contractors, etc, ably supporting him in this endeavour.

Special Lifetime Achievement Award on Shri Lalgudi GJayaraman
The Academy in March 2008 honoured the violin maestro Vidvan Shri Lalgudi G Jayaraman with the Special Lifetime Achievement Award in a very well attended function presided over by His Excellency Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Governor of West Bengal.

82nd Annual Conference and Concerts
The Academy is now in the auspicious 80th year of its founding and this year's festival assumes special significance.

The annual festival will be held between December 15, 2008 and January 1, 2009.

Clarionet maestro Vidvan Shri A.K.C. Natarajan will preside over the Conference and will be awarded the 'Sangita Kalanidhi' Birdhu at the Sadas on January 1, 2009.

His Excellency Shri M. Hamid Ansari, Vice President of India has very kindly agreed to be the Chief Guest and Inaugurate the 82nd Annual Conference and concerts. His Excellency Shri Surjit Singh Barnala, Governor of Tamil Nadu has kindly agreed to preside over the function and release the Academy's Journal.

Shri S. Ramadorai, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., has kindly agreed to preside over the Sadas on January 1, 2009.

 

Dance Festival
The earlier two dance festivals of the Academy have been enormously successful. The third edition of the Dance Festival is being held between January 3 and January 9, 2009 and Mr. Roland Herrmann, Consul General of the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Chennai, has graciously agreed to inaugurate the Dance Festival.

 

Grateful acknowledgement of artistes of Music and Dance festivals
It is with deep gratitude that we acknowledge the participation and support of all the musicians and artistes and it would not be an exaggeration to say that their unflinching support and outstanding concerts at The Music Academy, has largely contributed to the Academy's fine reputation and success.
We have also taken necessary steps to adequately enhance the compensation to the Artistes, of course, keeping in mind the finances and the affordability factor as well.

 

Sponsors/Stall hirers/Advertisers in the souvenir
It is with gratitude that we acknowledge all of them for their continued support and help, which have helped us conduct a successful annual festival year after year.

 

Digital Listening Archives
The Music Academy's archives of music recordings and books are a veritable treasure trove. A long time dream that is now materialising is the project for digitization of its music recordings. The Academy has in its possession its own recordings as well as those donated by well wishers of about 6000 hours. Shri R.T.Chari, our esteemed committee member, a passionate connoisseur of fine arts and heritage, particularly carnatic music, has a collection of about 6000 hours of carnatic music. He will be kindly handing over all this to The Music Academy's archives and also setting up at his own cost The Music Academy-TAG Listening Archives. It will initially have 10 touch screens monitors with ear phones through which connoisseurs can listen to any individual musician or a composition or a concert of their choice at the touch of the screen. This will be inaugurated at a special function at the Academy on 12th December 2008 by the American Consul General Mr. Andrew Simkin. Shri S.Rajam will be a special guest of honour. The Music Academy is indeed grateful to Shri R.T.Chari representing TAG Corporation and Ramu Endowments for this wonderful generosity.

 

Academy's Journal
The Academy's Journal will sport a new look and will be released at the Inauguration. The new Editor of the Journal is one of our Secretaries, a renowned musicologist and scholar, Dr. Pappu Venugopala Rao. He is ably supported by a reconstituted and enthusiastic Editorial Board.

 

Endowments
Significant additions/new endowments have been made during the year 2008 by Shri P.Obul Reddy, Shri L. Lakshman and Shri L. Ganesh, Smt. Uma Karthik Narayanan, Dr. Gutti Rao and Rukmini Arts & Music Trust.  We gratefully acknowledge them.

 

Birth Centenary of stalwarts
The year 2008 is the year of the birth centenary of so many stalwarts of the past who have contributed immensely to and enriched our fine tradition of classical fine arts — Shri Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Shri R.K.Venkatarama Sastry, Shri Palani M.Subramania Pillai, Shri Kunnakkudi Venkatrama Iyer, Shri M.M.Dandapani Desigar, Shri Periyasamy Thooran and Dr. V.Raghavan.  We salute them all.
On behalf of our entire team, I wish you all a very enjoyable music season and a dance festival and a New Year that is free from sorrow, strife and violence.

N. MURALI
President.