Tracing the two-decade journey of India’s first professional symphony orchestra/ Westward Ho!

For the finale of the 2026 outpouring play of the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI), Italian maestro Carlo Rizzi conducted 1 of the astir fashionable pieces written successful Western classical euphony — Ludwig van Beethoven’s ‘Symphony No. 5’. Best recognised for its opening series symbolising ‘fate knocking astatine the door’, it was played to perfection.

Held past period astatine Mumbai’s Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, the play was important arsenic it marked 20 years of the SOI, formed successful 2006 by Khushroo N. Suntook, president of the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), and Kazakh conductor Marat Bisengaliev, who joined arsenic euphony director. Another important improvement this twelvemonth is the assignment of British maestro Martyn Brabbins arsenic main conductor. Brabbins conducted 2 shows past month.

As India’s lone afloat nonrecreational symphony orchestra, the SOI has travel a agelong mode since its inception. Reflecting connected its role, Suntook says, “Those who person watched and helped it turn arsenic supporters, patrons, advisors and listeners volition possibly hold that the SOI is not conscionable an ensemble but a culmination of the endeavours of galore passionate individuals and groups earlier us, who contributed towards giving Western classical euphony its owed successful India. Twenty years later, the SOI, with an expanding fig of Indian players successful it, continues to contiguous immoderate of the finest concerts successful the genre.”

Besides galore impermanent conductors, SOI earlier had Zane Dalal arsenic subordinate euphony director, and Evgeny Bushkov, Piotr Borkowski and Mikel Toms arsenic nonmigratory conductors. Apart from the outpouring play successful February and autumn play successful August-September, it has galore symphonic and enclosure performances done the year.

The thought of forming the orchestra germinated astir 22 years ago, erstwhile Suntook was astatine a performance successful London. After the event, helium asked conductor Bisengaliev, whether helium would similar to acceptable up India’s archetypal nonrecreational Western classical orchestra. classical orchestra. The Kazakh instrumentalist was initially not convinced, but aft immoderate thought, decided to instrumentality up the challenge.

It took 2 years to portion unneurotic 70 musicians, bringing unneurotic a premix of string, brass, woodwind and percussion players, arsenic required by immoderate symphony orchestra. The fig of Indian musicians, minimal astatine the outset, accrued implicit the years.

SOI began its performances successful September 2006 successful Mumbai, with implicit 4 concerts that included Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s ‘Symphony No 6’ and Antonin Dvorak’s ‘Symphony No 9’ (‘From The New World’). The opening besides included a presumption of Tchaikovsky’s ballet ‘The Nutcracker’ — led by the New Jersey Ballet Company.

Ever since, SOI has followed the contented of presenting 2 seasons a twelvemonth — Spring and Autumn — portion its musicians besides performed astatine smaller enclosure recitals passim the year. Though, astir shows were successful Mumbai, SOI has besides performed successful Bengaluru ( 2007) and Chennai ( 2011) — the second conducted by Zane Dalal, included Maurice Ravel’s ‘Bolero’ and Franz Listz’s ‘Piano Concerto No 1’. The orchestra has besides performed overseas — Oman, Moscow, Abu Dhabi, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

The halfway radical of musicians are the nonmigratory artistes astatine NCPA and signifier the SOI Chamber Orchestra that presents a regular bid of concerts crossed Mumbai and India. Additional performers are recruited from a talented excavation of professionals worldwide. Besides venues wrong the NCPA analyzable successful southbound Mumbai, the Chamber Orchestra besides performs astatine the Prithvi Theatre successful the city’s suburbs.

SOI has worked with renowned conductors specified arsenic Brabbins, Rizzi, Charles Dutoit, Karl Jenkins, Alexander Anissimov, Christoph Poppen and Sir Mark Elder. Mumbai-born Zubin Mehta archetypal conducted the orchestra successful 2023, returning successful each of the adjacent 2 consecutive years; adjacent starring the Opera Gala successful 2025. He told The Hindu connected an earlier visit, “Before I did those shows successful 2023, I wasn’t definite if I would travel again. But, I was impressed from the rehearsal signifier itself. We played Mahler’s ‘Symphony No 1’, which requires proficiency. They did a fantastic job. So erstwhile Suntook asked maine to return, I readily agreed.”

Though SOI is comparatively caller compared to the different orchestras that Mehta has conducted, helium felt it would found itself implicit time. He said, “Each orchestra has its ain property and flexibility. Conducting them is simply a process that builds up implicit a play of time.”

Brabbins takes implicit arsenic the main conductor astatine a constituent erstwhile the orchestra is seeking to turn further. He is acquainted with the SOI’s functioning, having conducted it successful 2016, 2017 and 2025. He says, “The main conductor’s relation is important for an orchestra specified arsenic this. For me, it’s an honour and a responsibility. Our aim, similar immoderate different orchestra successful the world, is to play large euphony and better.”

Brabbins besides shares that implicit each caller visit, helium has seen the musicians grow. ““Keeping successful caput their abilities, we whitethorn grow the repertoire. But we’re besides alert that an orchestra exists due to the fact that of its public. So the chosen repertoire has to instrumentality into information the tastes of the audience,” helium said.

One decision, jointly taken by Babbins and Suntook is to execute each the Beethoven symphonies again. While person been performed before( Brabbins himself conducted ‘No 9’: the ‘Choral Symphony’) and Sir Mark Elder has performed ‘No 3’ (‘Eroica’) — the purpose is to revisit the 9 symphonies successful the coming seasons. This February, Brabbins conducted ‘Symphony No 1’ and Rizzi led ‘No 5’. For his opening show, Brabbins besides conducted Gustav Holst’s ‘The Planets’, which helium had presented during his 2016 visit. He observes: “A batch has changed successful a decade, with caller musicians joining the orchestra.” 

Brabbins, who is besides the main conductor of the Maimo Symphony Orchestra successful Sweden, volition sojourn Mumbai earlier some seasons arsenic portion of his caller assignment. He volition besides get earlier large symphonic concerts if necessary, assured the 66-year-old Brabbins, who besides added that audiences are mostly blimpish each implicit the world, “ they similar what they are acquainted with, and 1 has to respect that. But we indispensable besides effort to suggest thing new. One has to tempt them, but I bash that much successful Maimo than successful Mumbai.”

He says that though helium volition effort to present rarer pieces by British composers — Edward Elgar and Ralph Vaughan Williams — helium plans to absorption connected compositions that the SOI is much comfy with. The adjacent mates of seasons volition find the absorption helium takes.