Musical workshops by legends are a rarity and it was one such remarkable moment for some 400-odd students at Subhash Ghai’s Whistling Woods International, when award-winning trio of playback singer Kavita Krishnamurthy, her violinist-husband l Subramaniam and their son Ambi Subramaniam staged a musical class. “The reason why I am what I am today is because back in college I stepped up to perform on the stage leaving behind inhibitions.
It was then I was discovered by my teacher and the rest as they say is history,” said Krishnamurthy. At their weekly 5th VEDA event, the students experienced and discovered the joy of live performances, which is a vital part of music education. “To understand music, you need to first listen to it sincerely. The process of learning is monotonous but it is important to exercise control on your voice.
For composers, it’s good to learn piano. Basic classical music knowledge is a must and one should listen a lot to not only contemporary singers but classical singers, too. Controlling breath is important too and try to emulate and think over what ingredients make a song good,” said Krishnamurthy. At the session moderated by Subhash Ghai, she also explained to students through demonstrations the difference between various genres of singing like playback singing, ghazal, pop and classical.
She said, “Base is and should always be classical and then comes playback where we learn about aesthetics as we have to keep in mind the actors and situations. Also, when you start with your training go full throttle or full voice to open the texture of your voice. Modulation of voice comes after riyaz. These instincts develop with time.”
An AV clip on the evolution of violin was also shown to students. Subramaniam charmed students by playing violin and demonstrating various genres of jazz, classical, country music through his various compositions.
Students gave a standing ovation when their son, Ambi joined his father and the duo performed a fast-paced composition of fusion music, together. In the end Krishnamurthy joined them in singing classical notes which reverberated through the entire auditorium.
In the past, the famous trio has also performed at Madison Square to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Krishnamurthy has cut down heavily on her playback assignments.