NEW YORK - Indian music and musicians will go to the international online stage for the first time on YouTube, one of the most popular video communities the world over, to forge a common cultural language for the new global village.
The online musical programme will give Indian artists an opportunity to perform at the Carnegie Hall in New York on April 15.
YouTube has created the world’s first collaborative online orchestra and summit - www.youtube.com/symphonyin - which will carry the spirit of Indian music to millions of net users through an online concerto and promote talent from across the country in a competitive event.
A recital of Indian music by the US-based William Joseph International Academy of Performing Arts will be filmed and uploaded on YouTube as part of the community’s effort to popularise ethnic sounds from the country, said Ashley Williams, chairman of the William Joseph Music Foundation.
Williams said the symphony would help Indian musicians realise their dream of making it big globally in a different way.
Musicians from across the world were invited to submit video clips of their personal styles from Dec 1, 2008 to Jan 28, 2009 in two different formats. One must be their interpretation of an original composition by renowned Chinese composer Tan Dun of the ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ fame, scored specifically for the competitive capsule, while the other must be an original footage designed to showcase the musician’s dexterity and technical finesse.
This original music capsule would feature footages of Indian classical compositions, along with that from the rest of the world.
‘The YouTube Symphony Orchestra gives Indian musicians a unique opportunity to perform alongside musicians from all over the world and the potential to achieve global fame and recognition,’ Williams said.
‘By playing Indian traditional instruments musicians across India can display heritage of Indian music to a wider global audience. We hope that the initiative will showcase this country’s musical talent on a global stage and help popularize Indian music around the world,’ he added.
A panel of experts from the London Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra and New York Philharmonic from around the world will shortlist the semi-finalists, who will be put up on YouTube for a users’ mandate on the best of the lot.
The online community will start voting on the semi-finalists Feb 14 through Feb 22. The winners will be posted on YouTube March 2.
In April 2009, the semi-finalists will be flown to New York City for a three-day classical summit with the artistic advisor of YouTube Michael Tilson Thomas. Those on the top of the heap will - in the respective instrumental categories - will perform at the Carnegie Hall on April 15.
The selected video entries of the musical ensembles will be wreathed together into a live YouTube symphony - a single video footage of memorable entrants woven into one piece and featured on YouTube homepages around the world, senior YouTube officials said.
Ed Sanders, product marketing manager of YouTube, said the platform is unique forum for artists to broadcast their work.
‘Through the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, aspiring musicians can share their passion with institutions like Carnegie Hall and the London Symphony Orchestra, visionaries like Lang Lang, and with the world,’ Sanders said.
YouTube allows millions of people to discover, watch and share originally created videos. It provides a forum for people to connect and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small.
YouTube, LLC is based in San Bruno, California, and is a subsidiary of Google Inc.
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