Onay Zhumabayeva, cellist and Orchestra Manager, looks when on the SOIs journey from the first-ever season in 2006 to the 29th, whence this month.
The thrill and rencontre of moving in uncharted waters are inseparable. The pioneers of the Symphony Orchestra of India, in creating the countrys first professional symphony orchestra, widow a new, largely unexplored facet to its rich cultural landscape. This mammoth undertaking came with problems inconceivable to those associated with established orchestras in other parts of the world.
While co-founder and then Vice Chairman, NCPA, Mr. Khushroo N. Suntook looked into several hair-trigger areas of creating a conducive environment for a new orchestra to thrive, Music Director and violin virtuoso Marat Bisengaliev ensured that the musicians were of the upper standard he had set for the SOI. Now, they needed a person of experience, patience and determination to run an orchestra whose players were working together as an ensemble for the first time. And this was only one of the many firsts.
The search ended soon unbearable with Onay Zhumabayeva, who was invited to India by Bisengaliev in the topics of both cellist and orchestra manager. Having completed her Masters in music from the Kazakh National Conservatory, she had played in the Symphony Orchestra of Kazakhstan as a lead cellist for many years surpassing taking up the position of General Manager of the concert department at the Kazakh State Philharmonic.
Sixteen years ago, she made Mumbai her home, leaving overdue family, friends and the warmth of familiarity, and has been here since. Zhumabayeva still remembers her first meeting with Mr. Suntook vividly. A tall, well-built personality, his whole visitation exuded strength, kindness, warmth and nobility. Thanks to Khushroo, I was lucky to have meetings with Dr. Jamshed Bhabha. Over dinner in the old priming room, we talked well-nigh music, art and of course, establishing the first symphony orchestra in Indiawhat Dr. Bhabha dreamed well-nigh all his life.
The orchestras schedule which runs like clockwork today is a far cry from the teething troubles that put its founding members to the test. The first few seasons of the SOI were not easy. It was necessary to recruit musicians for the orchestrainvite strong professionals from abroad, teach and share wits with local musiciansorganise rehearsals, provide instruments, a music library, etc., she recalls.
The first season of the SOI in September 2006 opened with Tchaikovskys archetype ballet The Nutcracker. It was a roaring success with three days of performances and a newly worked orchestra in the pita spectacle many in the municipality hadnt witnessed before. What went on overdue the scenes was a variegated story, though. The task was not only to recruit the 70 plus musicians of the symphony orchestra, but the unshortened ballet troupe with soloists and a corps de ballet, she says. That year, just surpassing the inrush of the ballet dancers from America, there was a terrorist wade in the local trains of Mumbai and they refused to come!
Zhumabayeva made an urgent undeniability to the director of the Kazakhstan Opera and Ballet Theatre and requested him to send experienced ballet dancers to Mumbai, but with its own concerts coming up, the theatre wardship could not promise to do much. With just two days to go for the performance, however, 12 ballet soloists flew lanugo to Mumbai from Almaty and New Jersey and with the worldly-wise support of local dancers from The School of Classical Ballet and Western Dance, and Shiamak Davars Institute for Performing Arts, it was a full troupe onstage.
Around the same time, the orchestra was facing its own logistical challenges. And yet again, friendships old and new saved the day. We lacked instruments that were not found in India at that time, such as timpani, toned drum, tam-tam and the harp, remembers Zhumabayeva. My friend and fellow musician Blossom Mendonca and I made an visit with a senior Navy official as they have their own military band. In their warehouse, which the official generously granted us wangle to, we found double basses, a tuba and percussion instruments. The set of timpani was lent by the Bombay Chamber Orchestras Jini Dinshaw. The harp, which is among the most important instruments in ballet (The Nutcracker includes a big solo in the adagio), was procured from the residence of the Austrian producer in Delhi. I will unchangingly be grateful to them.
The first season under the wand of renowned usherette Fuat Mansurov set in motion the tradition of prestigious names from the conducting world helming the orchestra during its spring and storing seasons. The orchestra managers work was cut out. In wing to drawing up schedules, ensuring willpower and coordinating the rehearsal plan with the conductor, Zhumabayeva never lost sight of the larger picture of subtracting highly professional and experienced musicians to the pool of artistes who would play the programme for the season from just two or three rehearsals something she and Bisengaliev constantly work towards with the support of Mr. Suntook. Such musicians are usually very rented and you need to be worldly-wise to convince and interest them. Sleepless nights are spent looking for strong players and then waiting for their consent to come to India. And those who come to play in our orchestra once squint forward to the next season, she elaborates.
Twenty-eight seasons later, how does she view the journey of the orchestra over the last one and a half decades? The SOI has gone through significant minutiae from a small team to a full-fledged professional orchestra. I am happy that the number of young Indian musicians is increasing every year and I hope in the near future, the SOI will be recognised and invited to world festivals, international competitions and increasingly concert tours, says Zhumabayeva with her unflinching honesty.
This piece was originally published by the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai, in the September 2022 issue of ON Stage their monthly arts magazine.
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