This May Day expect to be entertained. Canada’s most famous pianist, Richard Abel, along with our very own saxophonist Rhys Sebastian and flautist Shirish Malhotra, will enthrall audiences in what could be a musical spectacle.
On his first visit to India, Abel is delighted to be in the country. “Well, I received an invitation to do a benefit concert in India for KRIPA. My manager knows the producer who has invited me. He told me that it would also give me an opportunity to know the country so far away from mine.”
From a young age, Abel listened to his mother play the piano. When he turned eight he started to play songs on the piano by ear. His love for the instrument grew when, at the age of fourteen, he started classical piano lessons and by eighteen he was playing Chopin and also performed at his first concert. Today his talent and vitality know no bounds and he is a well-known name in Quebec, Canada. He has performed across Canada as a special guest with The Glenn Miller Band and with Broadway singer Barbara Cook. He has also performed at concerts in honor of Prince Philip and for political dignitaries in Canada and many other countries. He has about ten instrumental albums to his credit and two platinum records, four gold records and three Felix Awards for Instrumental Album of the Year.
Richard’s music is a mix of covers with a few original pieces of his own. So what will he offer Mumbai? “I have decided to do a concert very modestly. I'll use some Indian musicians (six) and a few sound tracks. I am an eclectic pianist, both classical and pop music have been part of my career and so expect some crossover Beethoven pop and classic melodies.”
Abel has brought along a singer, Corneliu Montana, who has been performing with him since a few years. Abel is performing for free, and hopes to help KRIPA in a big way. “Any organisation helping kids, especially those suffering from drug abuse, sickness is important and valuable for the future of our children,” says the pianist.
Founder and Managing Trustee of KRIPA, Rev. Fr. Joe Pereira stated, “This is the first time that a foreign artist is offering me a programme to help create awareness for addiction, HIV & AIDS. It’s also going to be Maharashtra Day (May Day) and I can proudly say that I love my Maharashtra. I want the youth to respond to the challenge of addiction and I want them to enroll to be the new friends of Kripa and fight the cause.”
(Richard Abel performs at St. Stanislaus grounds, Bandra on Sunday, May 1 at 7 pm and at the Willingdon Catholic Gymkhana,
Santacruz on Tuesday, May 3 at 7.30 pm.