Sunaad Blog - From a student performer

Raashi Sachdeva writes, after the Feb 10th concert...

"To play a wrong note is insignificant; To play without passion is inexcusable.” - Ludwig Van

Beethoven. Sunaad Concerts are all about passion. Passion from the organizers, who are

driven to provide this welcoming platform for young, aspiring music students to build their

confidence. Passion from the performers, who prepare for weeks in advance, first with their

gurus and then with their accompanists. Passion from the parents, who always show up to

encourage their children and other performers.

As Beethoven wonderfully expressed, passion is at the heart of music. It fuels every note

played and every performance shared. It's this very essence that makes Sunaad Concerts so

special. And for me, the absence of these concerts during the long years of the pandemic

highlighted just how deeply they had impacted my life. Throughout the pandemic, I often

thought of the Sunaad concerts that had once been the highlight of my weekends. Somewhere

deep in my heart, I held out hope that once the lockdown was over, we would be able to

restart Sunaad concerts.

In 2023, as lockdown restrictions began to ease and a semblance of normalcy returned to our

lives, thoughts of Sunaad and the enriching concerts it had provided came flooding back.

With a hopeful feeling, I reached out to the Sunaad organizing team, wondering if they had

any plans for reviving the concerts. To my delight, a few weeks later, I received the

wonderful news that the new organizing team had rallied together, and plans were underway

for the first concert! The excitement built steadily from that moment on, spanning from

December 2023 all the way to the concert day in February 2024.

The concert was as magical as before, with the sweet tone of the harmonium and the strong

tabla beats perfectly complementing the beautiful and unique sound of each singer. Watching

and performing at the concert filled me with such joy, reminding me how lucky I was to be

part of this wonderful community. I saw the passion in each performer's eyes and the way

they smiled joyfully while performing their beloved art. I also saw the immense pride in

every parent’s eyes, as they watched their children perform and grow.

Every single one of these Sunaad concerts is a gift. A gift that exposes us to beautiful music

and helps us student performers grow our confidence. The pandemic helped us understand the

real value of this gift, given to us by the dedicated organizing team members and generous

hosts.

And to all the student performers out there, I wanted to share one thing that my guru always

tells me. When an opportunity to perform our art presents itself, always take it, because

making mistakes is the only way to learn and grow our confidence. We, as students of music,

should be proud of our learning and our art, and performing is the best way to share our gift

and talent with others in the world.

Raashi Sachdeva