I want to spread the Power of Ragas internationally-Utsav Lal
Music lovers love to listen the melodious voice of Hemant Dada, Mukesh, Lata Ji, Kishore but Utsav-Child pianoist born on 18 th August, 1992 in New Delhi , India , plays the tunes on his piano and able to live the voice the ever great voice of the great Indian singers. He even can play the tune of Sonu Nigam, Abhijeet; Shreya Ghoshal & Adnan Sami. He started his piano interest at the age of six only.
Utsav gets the inspiring force from his gurus John Raphael -the great western classical pianist & Brian Silas- reputed Indian pianist. Jaideep Lakhtakia, a highly experienced musician who is a virtual encyclopedia on Indian film songs also a guiding force in the life of Utsav..
As an upcoming Indian musician, Utsav has presented over 30 piano concerts in India at Delhi , Gurgaon, Jullundhar, Ludhiana , Kolkata, and Mumbai and is poised to face his first international audience in Saskatoon , Canada in July2006. Mr.S.S.DOGRA interacted with Utsav and shared the following emotion with him.
Q. A brief note about your life journey in the music field?
A; Started early at 7. I was playing at small functions for two years before I gave the first Solo concert at 9 yrs. The past 1 yr has been international Concerts in Canada , London , Dublin and I have played for international audiences who may not have heard Indian Music on the Piano ever before, but have loved every bit of it.
Q.Who inspired you to choose this field?
A: Indian music of Brian Silas and my family's love for Indian Film & classical compositions inspired me. Vinod Shakiya , my Hindustani classical teacher inspired me to experiment with Ragas on the Piano.
Q. What are your hobbies?
A: Playing piano,practiscing piano,listening to music,playing guitar,a bit of flute,harmonium,trying to play sarangi,playing keyboards...
....also reading car magazines,car designing,playing with dogs.
Q. Are you a students of which class & school?
A: Third Year( 9 th class) at St.Michaels College , Dublin , Ireland .
Q.What is your ambition?
A: Create in the music arena a whole new world of "Indian Piano Music" compositions based on Indian classical Ragas.
Q..Who are your role models?
A. Mr. John Raphael,my piano teacher in India for his great patience & ability to teach.
Rahul Sharma with his self created Santoor music.
Q..What is your daily routine?
How much time you practice at piano daily?
A: I definitely play piano first thing each morning for 20-30 min before going to school. Practising before Piano exams may be 3-4 hrs,otherwise I play at least 1-2 hrs each day.Daily routine has school and studies and a lot of piano & other music in between for relaxation.
Q.Your Favourite Sportsman/woman
/Hero/Herioine/singer/musician/politician/music director/composer? Why?
A:Favourite composer A R Rahman..his music is different and has great use of rhthym.
Favourite musician: Rahul Sharma..his music is fresh and he experiments as a musician.
Favourite singer: Kailash Kher...his voice and his music have an Indian classical touch and have a lot of feeling.
Favourite music director: Shankar Jaikishen,Roshan,Naushad,OP Nayyar...their classic film compositions are evregreen and fablous even today.
Q.How much support you get from your family in your life?
110 %. My mom has always been behind me,motivating & supporting right from the start. My dad & sister have been by my side at all my concerts and have total faith in me.
Q.Any message for the new generation?
A: Never ignore your roots. It is your roots that call you strongly as you grow up. I have trained as a Western Classical Concert Pianist,but the music closest to my heart is Indian Classical Ragas on the Piano.
Q. Who are your fans who enjoy your performance?
A.I have fans from all age groups. Silver haired crowds that are mesmerized by the old favorites, teenagers drawn to the glamour of the piano, the corporate hi-flier who finds solace and enjoyment in going down the nostalgic memory lane, as well as the tiny boppers who love to dance to latest peppy numbers. Even, I have been extensively covered by Television channels like Zee News,Channel7,Sahara NCR, Sahara Samay, DD Metro, DD News, IndiaTV, Total T.V etc. You may even can see my live performance at on www.utsavlal.com
