The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) and Citi India announced the launch of the 8^th edition of the much awaited Indian music festival ‘Citi-NCPA Aadi Anant: From Here to Eternity’.

Spread across four cities: Pune, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru, the three-month long festival is one of the most highly anticipated events of the year and will give concert goers the opportunity to engage with Indian culture through some of our country’s oldest forms of music. In its 8th edition, the Citi- NCPA Aadi Anant Music Festival will feature some of the most respected maestros of the classical music fraternity; including Zakir Hussain, HariprasadChaurasia, Ajmad Ali Khan and Sudha Ragunathan amongst others.

Commenting on the festival, Khushroo N Suntook, NCPA Chairman said, “As the oldest surviving music traditions in the world, Indian music owes its resilience to the oral –aural system of ‘Guru-Shishya’, which has been the most efficient mode of training and transmitting the traditional knowledge. As a National Centre dedicated to preserve, promote and propagate the performing arts, we are proud to foster this age-old institution through various initiatives. We extend many thanks to Citi, our esteemed partner, for their passionate support through the years towards nurturing our great Indian heritage. It is indeed gratifying that through the ‘CITI-NCPA Music for Schools’ program, we are able to uphold the right of a child to music education, and thus fulfil our remit as a Member Organization of the International Council for Music (IMC), a body founded by UNESCO.”

Citi India CEO, Pramit Jhaveri, said,“We are delighted to present the eighth edition of the Citi-NCPA Aadi Anant Festival. The Festival is dedicated to promoting and proliferating the ancient Guru-Shishya tradition across the country. We do hope that many of you take this opportunity to experience maestros of music perform at the highest stage, and in turn, enjoy current renditions of age-old compositions. This initiative is especially meaningful for us at Citi, as it is part of a much deeper and long-standing partnership that we have with the NCPA. From training aspiring musicians to nurturing some of the finest talent in our nation, Citi is proud to play its part in the continued progress and evolution of India’s cultural heritage.”

In addition to the festival, Citi and NCPA have collaborated on various CSR initiatives in the field of Indian and Western Classical Music. With the intent of keeping alive the age-old Guru-Shishya tradition, both institutions are committed supporting musicians at every level, ensuring that they have the opportunities and skills to experience and pursue Indian classical music.

Program 1: Support to Guru’s: Under this scheme 8 Gurus receive financial support to train three promising disciples each, in the traditional format of one-on-one teaching. The program is free of cost for the disciples.

Program 2: Scholarships to Young Musicians: This scheme is meant for talented amateurs (age group: 18-30) in the field of Hindustani music (vocal –dhrupad &khayal, instrumental music –melody & percussion). A total of nine scholarships are given annually based on the quality of performance in a live audition.

Program 3: Introducing Music Training to School Children: This program trains school children in Indian Classical Music, working in 9 schools with approximately 600 students.

Festival Schedule: