In this day and age of reality television shows resulting in a virtual explosion of new singing talent in the country, training in the art has become even more important. But mere training is clearly not enough, unless potential artistes also get a platform to perform and hone their skills. Since its inception in 2005, Iris, the annual musical
bonanza organised by the Aria Music and Theatre Conservatory (AMTC), has given an opportunity to students to perform on stage in front of an audience.
This year’s Iris, at the ICCR Auditorium at Azad Bhavan, was even more enriching because the celebrations also marked the first anniversary of the formation of the rock band, Eka, whose members share a special bond with AMTC. One of the trio — Hitesh Madan, founded AMTC along with his wife Payal, who writes and directs plays and musicals.
Hitesh, Benny and Lokesh, band members of Eka also lent their expertise to the budding rockstars at the event.
Talking about the idea behind AMTC and Iris, Payal says, “I taught English in DPS Rohini and Loreto and after we got married we thought it would be great to put our forces together to start a music and drama school. It was a marriage of our professions of sort. One of our chief goals was to provide our students a platform to put in practice what they learn and Iris is a significant part of our curriculum aiming at maximum participation. So, you’ll find an ever-growing talent pool of babies, teenagers and office-goers.”
Battle of the Bands, was one of the events that both mentors and participants were anxiously looking forward to. Talking about the tussle between bands, Payal adds, “We usually decide upon a song list first and then the kids from the various departments pitch for their song. Auditions for each instrument/vocal part is held and the ensembles are formed. Thereafter, it’s all practice.”
From being young musicians who were out to rock the world, Eka donned the role of mentors at the festival this year. Talking about this new challenge for the band, Hitesh said, “We feel very fortunate to share the stage with some incredibly talented young musicians. We feel that each individual has something unique about them and with a little bit of encouragement and guidance they can really maximise their potential. We’re only happy to share our experiences and what we’ve learnt over the years to help them take their art to the next level.”
Apart from staging a few original productions, Payal informs that AMTC is planning another original to be staged next year. She says helping students take exams from Trinity College and Rockschool London also keeps them busy.
Reminiscing their attachment with Iris, Benny said, “Eka made its debut at the same event last year, so, we’re commemorating our year of being together. We’ve performed a new song called Satyamev Jayate, which voices our anger against corruption.”