On the classic notes of a flute

Shirish Malhotra, 24, is currently making waves in cyberspace. How? His audition for the flute chair at the Youtube Symphony Orchestra 2011 wowed judges so much that he is now one of the top twelve finalists.

If he wins, Malhotra will be the first Indian to perform at the orchestra’s concert performance in the Sydney Opera House, Australia, under the eminent conductor Michael Tilson Thomas. A Facebook page dedicated to sending him to Sydney has already got 1,100 members and counting.

Amidst all this, a visibly nervous Malhotra hopes that he “will get to represent India among the many talented players on the Western classical music front”. The only other Indian among the finalists is Anuraag Shah in the rhythmic improvisation category.

“There are very few good western classical music players; this music still suffers from cultural bias,” says Malhotra. As such, he maintain, there are very few good teachers in India for this kind of music. Malhotra learnt the flute largely by himself, taking inputs and suggestions from visiting artists (30, to be precise).

Knowing that it is largely hard work and good luck that has seen him get this far, Malhotra now wants to use this experience to go abroad and formally study music. Unable to try out for the auditions last year, he had to scramble on the last day to submit his audition tape this year: a seven-minute performance of him playing Mozart Concerto in D and other orchestral excerpts on flute.

It took him and his father two hours of takes, retakes and breaks to get the final performance and video, shot in his kitchen, perfect. 

Malhotra’s interest in Western classical music was piqued when, at twelve-years of age, his father introduced him to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons — a set of violin concertos by composer Antonio Vivaldi.

“I started playing the violin, still do. But I felt the flute, so underappreciated as an instrument, was best suited for me,” he says. Having completed his Grade exams with distinction, with a Performer’s Certificate Recital from Trinity College, London he also

has a diploma in flute performance from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, London. Malhotra has also performed with the Symphony Orchestra of India for two years and now currently freelances with them.
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