Bengaluru: Excitement, anxiety and apprehensions ran high as 50 budding young musicians performed at grand finale of the eighth edition of Times NIE ‘Spotlight’, Bangalore’s largest inter-school music competition, held in Bengaluru Friday.
The competition, organised by Times NIE and Subramaniam Academy for Performing Arts (SaPa) to identify the best musical talent amongst students, saw an overwhelming response from over 1,000 students in the first phase of the competition. Of these, 150 students emerged as semi-finalists.
Three finalists from each category were judged by renowned violinist L Subramaniam, who was recently conferred Padma Vibhushan, along with celebrated playback singer Kavita Krishnamurti Subramaniam. The finalists also had the invaluable opportunity to attend a mentoring session with the distinguished musicians, where they received expert guidance on refining their skills, mastering voice control and handling their instruments with precision.
Kavita emphasized the importance of mastering the basics for vocalists, particularly focusing on pitch, pauses, and word emphasis. Each line must be perfected meticulously, refining every phrase before moving forward. Accurate pronunciation, precise pitch, and a polished finish are essential, she advised.
Subramaniam said that the journey of learning music never truly ends — every concert, every performance, and practice session is an opportunity for growth. He emphasized the importance of clarity in music, along with the emotional depth that brings a piece to life.
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THE WINNERS
The Grand Prize winner received a cash prize of ₹10,000.00 and a one-year scholarship with SaPa in the selected discipline offered by SaPa.
• Each category winner was awarded the SaPa Star title and a three-month scholarship with SaPa in the selected discipline offered by SaPa.
• All semi-finalists, finalists, and winners received certificates and trophies for their achievements.
Winners in each category:
Grand Prize Winner
Prachi S Hemadri, Rohan Kumar & Aashrith Praveen – NPS Rajajinagar
Indian Classical Vocal Solo
Grade 3-5: Pranav Harishankar, Sri Kumaran Children’s Home Educational Council & Anagha Krishna, Sudarshan Vidya Mandir (ICSE Academy), Jayanagar
Grade 6+: Sahana K, Little Flower Public School
Indian Light Classical Vocal Solo
Grade 3-5: Sannidhi Aditya Bellur, The Brigade School, Malleswaram
Grade 6+: Aniruddha Krishna, Sudarshan Vidya Mandir (ICSE Academy), Jayanagar
Indian Instrumental Solo
Grade 3-5: Anika Shastry, National Public School Koramangala
Grade 6+: Anushree Iyer, National Centre for Excellence, CV Raman Nagar
International Music Vocal Solo
Grade 3-5: Pranika Karthik, GEAR innovative International School, Gurukul
Grade 6+: Sunayna Srivastava, Sishu Griha Senior School
International Music Instrumental Solo
Grade 3-5: Arjun D Prabhu, Alpine Public School
Grade 6+ – Jai Dhondiyal, Delhi Public School, Bangalore East (Cambridge)
Percussion Solo
Abhijay Joshi, The Brigade School, Malleswaram
Group performance
Prachi S Hemadri, Rohan Kumar & Aashrith Praveen – NPS Rajajinagar