A lay person might imagine opera singing as something which died with the passing of Luciano Pavarotti, a genre alien to India. Well, not exactly. The style, which was popular in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, has found takers in Chennai in recent years, and the city actually has a talented, albeit small, pool of opera singers and teachers. And if you’re lucky, you could even catch a live performance.
The reason for the newfound interest, says Akshita Mohite, a full-time music student focusing on opera at the KM Music Conservatory, Chenna, is the availability of classes. “The voice training techniques that the genre entails is one of the healthiest,” she says. Akshita, 21, is one of the many students at KM who learn opera; some of whom are career aspirants, while others learn to aid their Indian classical training or just as a hobby.
