CENTRAL FESTIVAL (since 2009)
A Festival to celebrate the best of Christmas music!
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/article928208.ece
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-nxg/article926307.ece
Apart from the Christmas Carols sung in Churches and Choral programs, there are numerous folk tunes and hordes of other songs that have been Top of the Billboard Charts since the 60’s. Songs like White Christmas, Silver Bells, War is Over etc, have warmed the hearts of millions throughout history. The Central Festival aims at teaching these Christmas songs to the new generation through a vocal course and have them perform too. Popular acapella groups and choirs are also invited to perform at the Festival – it’s the center place to celebrate Christmas.
Artists Performing:
The OCTET CANTABILE, one of the foremost vocal sensations from Chennai, is a group of 8 mixed voices from 1994. Each member of the group are highly trained in western classical music, and their repertoire range from pure classical (Bach, Mendelssohn & Mozart) to contemporary (country, black gospel, reggae to rock) and flavors from everything else in between. They have performed all over India and toured America & Malaysia. They are the only vocal group in India that has cleared the Advanced Level in Ensemble singing – an examination conducted by the Trinity College of Music, London – with distinction. Mr. Augustine Paul, Chennai’s most wanted choir conductor, founded and heads the Octet Cantabile.
SUBJECT TO CHANGE began as a group of college friends who grouped together to perform for an acoustic festival in Chennai in 2007. Now they are invited all over as one of the premium, contemporary acapella, acoustic performers. Last month, they performed at the HINDU’s November Fest Launch in Hyderabad. The band has a mad mix of artists including playback singer Benny Dayal and theatre personality Anisha Verghese. Eclectic, vibrant, super creative and deeply engaging – a treat anytime!
SOULSONIC is basically the result of a musical soul search in Chennai to find good funk & soul music genre loving musicians. Enter Soulsonic. Gaining inspiration from Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind & Fire and the likes, Soulsonic offers the best of R&B and funk. Playback singer Suvi Suresh leads the band with popular rock drummer Jerry (Junkyard Groove) and other professional musicians will offer their take on Christmas songs like Funky Mellow Christmas, Drummer Boy etc.
Students of the UNWIND SCHOOL OF MUSIC will perform songs that they have been learning through a dedicated vocal course since September and also students from flute, drums and guitar streams.
PRITHVI CHANDRASEKHAR is one of the cities upcoming keyboard prodigy’s and is currently producing and arranging music, after studies in music production from Berklee Boston. His prowess in electronic music exemplary and he will present popular Christmas music with a contemporary electronic twist.
ROSHNI VINCENT, another young promising vocalist & vocal trainer, has also finished her music production & composition at Berklee and will be performing an original composition written specifically for the event!
ACHIEVER ACADEMY is an English Medium School connected to Acts of Mercy and has been functioning in the center of Mammalapuram since 2006. The school offers premium English Medium education for underprivileged students and privileged students in the area. Students from the school will present a take on a Christmas dance using the disciplines of Bharatnatym.
Come to think of it, the Central Festival is one of the most versatile Christmas music events you can ever dream up of! Modern Choral, funk, jazz, electronic, soul, R&B, Rock and even some Bharatnatym! A must attend event and one of the first for the season.
VENUE: Museum Theatre, Egmore
DATE: Wednesday, 8th December 2010
TIME: 7:15 PM
ENTRY: Rs. 150, Rs. 250, Rs. 400 & Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000/-
Limited Seats! HURRY!
