Hyderabad kicked off  its week-long World Music Day celebrations in style at various public places

Music On The Go
Image used for representational purpose only
Image used for representational purpose only

The essence of Fete de la Musique (World Music Day) lies in the participation of laypeople and musicians in the celebration of music in public spaces — away from auditoriums and studios. This phenomenon that started in Paris in 1982 has now spread to 200 cities across 120 countries. Goethe Zentrum Hyderabad, as part of its annual World Music Day celebrations, kick-started its week-long events on June 21 at the Ameerpet Metro Station in the city. Unmindful of the spattering rain, the enthusiastic passengers showed great interest in the music event that unfolded at the station’s first level. That the genre and the form of music were unfamiliar to the crowd didn’t seem to matter as feet-tapping and head-swaying public were seen thoroughly enjoying the music that was emanating from such an unconventional place. 

A collaboration between the Goethe-Zentrum Institution, L&T Metro Rail and NEXT Premia Mall, the music event includes about 200 different artists, 45 performances, 30 hours of music, and five days of busking at five different metro stations. The fest will conclude on June 26 with a final concert at the Premia Mall, Irrum Manzil Metro Station. 

The event was inaugurated at the Ameerpet station with simultaneous performances happening at the Raidurg and Miyapur stations. In attendance were Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary to the Government of Telangana, NVS Reddy, MD, Hyderabad Metro Rail as well as Amita Desai, the executive director of Goethe-Zentrum Hyderabad and the Ambassador of Hamburg.

“Usually, Goethe-Zentrum does private music shows every year for World Music Day but this year we got the idea to have an event in a public space where passers-by could stop for a while to enjoy the music before leaving for their destination. European countries often make music accessible with buskers or other performers in public spaces. We wanted to incorporate that aspect this year,” said Ravi Kasinathuni, a faculty at Goethe-Zentrum Hyderabad. 

The event at the Ameerpet Metro Station saw performances by the Dennis Powell Collective as well as NRB Band. “We were excited because we like to try new things. We performed on many stages, so performing at a metro station was a new experience for us,” said members of the NRB Band.

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