HCL Concerts Launches ‘The Carnatic Quest’ – A Hunt for the Next Carnatic Music Stars

HCL Concerts, a platform aimed at identifying, nurturing and supporting the next generation of talent in the Indian classical performing arts space, today unveiled ‘The Carnatic Quest.’ A one-of-a kind contest,‘The Carnatic Quest’aims at identifying, young prodigious Carnatic musicians across five broad categories including Carnatic vocal, Veena, Violin, Flute and Percussion instruments (Mridangam, Ghatam andKanjeera).Winners of the talent hunt program will be provided an opportunity to perform for the millions of music enthusiasts that follow the HCL Concerts platforms and HCL Music users (a mobile app offering one of the most comprehensive collection of classical music for free).

The Carnatic Questwas conceptualized jointly by HCL Concerts and Chennai based Rhapsody Music Foundation, founded and run by acclaimed ClassicalPianist Anil Srinivasan. It is intended to emerge as a virtual musical pilgrimage, attracting both, conservative and contemporary lovers of Carnatic music while encouraging and promoting the Indian classical music and performing arts.

Sundar Mahalingam, Chief Strategy Officer, HCL Corporation said “At HCL Concerts, we are constantly trying to innovate to bring great music and performances to our followers. The Carnatic Quest is yet another initiative that will allow us to identify the next-generation of Carnatic music stars and showcase their talent to our broad audience-base. At the same time,we will also leverage our multiple platforms including the physical or digital performance platforms and HCL Music app to bring recognition to the talented winners of the program. We look forward to seeing some great entries and winners emerging out of the entire process.”

Classical Pianist, Anil Srinivasan said, “Carnatic music is considered as one of the oldest systems of music in the world. Its aficionados are spread across the world. With ‘The Carnatic Quest’ the aim is to identify prodigious talent from across India and provide them a platform that is global in reach and scale. We atRhapsody Music Foundation are excited to be a part of this journey with HCL Concerts, allowing me to give back to the art while also ensuring that the genre continues to flourish by nurturing new talent.”

The Carnatic Quest will include the following multi-stage talent identification program: -

·         Invitation for entries – Artists can send across their entries in five categories, i.e. Carnatic Vocal, Veena, Violin, Flute and Percussions (Mridangam, Ghatam and Kanjeera) from across the county at https://www.hclconcerts.com/the-carnatic-quest/till  October 31, 2020.

o    There is no application fee

·         Identifying talented performers – Entries will be evaluated by Rhapsody Music Foundation and shortlisted musicians will be contacted for second round.

o   There will be three rounds and results of each round will also be published on the Facebook page of HCL Concerts

·         Winners Announcement – One winner each from Carnatic vocals, Veena, Violin and Flute, along with three winners from Percussion will get an opportunity to perform atthe HCL Concerts platform.

About HCL Concerts: 

The conservation and promotion of India’s art and cultural heritage is very close to HCL’s heart. To this end, HCL has been organizing HCL Concerts for 22 years, dedicated to nurturing and promoting talent rooted in the glorious heritage of Indian classical performing arts. Concerts under the umbrella of HCL Concerts are organized in Delhi NCR, Lucknow, Nagpur, Madurai, Chennai and Bengaluru in India and in New York and San Francisco in the US regularly throughout the year. Over 600 artists have graced this platform and have contributed towards reinvigorating the Indian classical performing arts.

Over the years, more platforms have been developed to contribute to the growth of the Indian performing arts ecosystem. Most notable of these are HCL Concerts Baithak - a series of live, virtual performances by accomplished and upcoming Indian classical music and dance artists, HCL Concerts Soundscapes – showcasing the independent and inclusive music from across the Indian landscape including  genres like Sufi, Folk and Indie-pop; the HCL Music Mobile App, allowing music lovers across the world a chance to enjoy the most comprehensive collection of classical music from the comforts of their home for free, and HCL Digital Concerts, a talent identification and nurturing program aimed at showcasing talented and upcoming classical performing artists to a global audience through a digital medium.