Anish Pandit: Musical Notes
Anish Raj Pandit completed his undergraduate studies at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in 2018, and in 2020, a Master of Music in Oboe Performance at the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston. Anish was born in Kentucky, but moved to Newburgh, Indiana when he was in elementary school. His parents are Kashmiri Pandits who lived in the mountainous northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Anish came to India in 2021 to pursue his musical dreams as Resident Oboe and Instructor of Music with the Symphony Orchestra of India Music Academy.
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Musical Tracks
Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu by Geeta Dutt was my mother’s favorite song and as a child, I would often join her in the ‘Baa Baa’ part. My family's fascination for old obscure Bollywood film soundtracks led us to scout for CDs in stores around Indianapolis or Chicago. Bollywood songs fascinated me even though I was born and lived in the US. I started to sing at functions and fundraising concerts and ventured into other forms of music, like jazz, rap, RnB, and eventually classical music. For me, it was a natural course to choose a musical career.
I recently sang Mera Saaya Saath Hoga (My shadow will always be with you) at Prithvi Theatre to honor the legendary Indian playback singer Late Lata Mangeshkar. This was the first song I performed live when I was seven years old and evoked a sense of déjà vu. I am an ardent admirer of singer Geeta Dutt as her songs evoke emotions. For young musicians like me, the work of composers like A. R. Rahman, Shankar Mahadevan, Madan Mohan, S. D. Burman, and Hemant Kumar is inspirational. In the western classical music world, I admire the works of Maurice Ravel, Richard Strauss, Igor Stravinsky, and Ottorino Respighi among others.
I can experience what the music is expressing to me as if, ‘it gives to me, and I give to it.'
The Oboe & Me
The oboe, a woodwind instrument I currently specialize in came into the picture when I was in Grade 7. My sister showed me a YouTube video of the Los Angeles Philharmonic playing The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky. The oboe wasn’t a particularly prominent part of this musical piece, but I was drawn to the mystique of the sound. It was love at first sound! For years, I refined my techniques and developed my niche in the western classical genre. Along with the oboe, I pursue Indian playback singing and music as separate areas of interest. I also play the tabla, a percussion instrument, and auxiliary oboe family instruments such as the English horn and oboe d’amore.
Pic 1: At a concert in the Tata Theatre, National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai.
Pic 2: At the Ranga Shankara Auditorium, Bangalore, with the Symphony Orchestra of India Chamber Orchestra
Reminiscing times at IU
My favorite performances at IU were probably Brahms’ Violin Concerto and Hindemith’s Mathias The Painter as this was also my last orchestra concert as an undergrad at Indiana University! The violin concerto has a famous and beautiful oboe solo, and Mathias The Painter is a great piece of music. Thomas Wilkins was one of my very favorite conductors at IU as he was encouraging and tried to bring out brought the best in performers. After one of my recitals, Jorja Fleezanis, a former concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra and current teacher at IU came up to me and told me that my musical piece was ‘transcendent’. Coming from a person who does not give compliments easily, that moment gave me confidence and happiness!
As I reminisce, I am thankful for my experiences at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, for they shaped me in different ways. Both taught me to strive for excellence. The intimate relationship with our teachers as our gurus becomes a focal point of our experiences as musicians. They teach us to refine our techniques, pay attention to details, and freed us from chronic overthinking and paralysis. My last dinner with my professor, Linda Strommen, was a great close to a meaningful chapter of my life because she gave me a lot of clarity on ‘how far I’d come, and how far I could still go.’
When the going gets tough, the tough get going
School can be competitive and even discouraging at times. I have come out of lessons and practice feeling absolutely drained. As a musician, no matter what one is going through in their personal life, be it relationships, family loss, or other constraints, one must put it aside to perform at one's best. Musicians must make sure that technique doesn’t suffer due to their emotional or physical state, and this requires a certain level of discipline.
A great musician, to me, is someone who expresses from a place of sincerity and has mastered the technicalities to allow for that to come forth.
For Future Musicians
I never resonated with playing string instruments or the piano and this has been one of my regrets! The physical connection with an instrument is different for each person. I would encourage budding musicians to learn to play the piano as this makes life easier. I barely scraped through my piano proficiency exam during my undergrad. I was even worried that it would keep me from graduating even though I excelled in all other departments!
Apart from music, I love to dance to Indian classical songs, an interest I developed during childhood. I appreciate visual art and museums and admire jewelry and unique fashion. I am a foodie and enjoy great cooking.
I love working with children. I relate to them easily and they seem to gravitate towards me; maybe because their company allows me to bring out the child in me!
Orchestrating my next steps
My nine months in India have not been easy but there were important learnings as I worked with people from different origins as there are many Russians, Kazakhs, as well as Indians in an orchestra. In the short term, I want to pursue my doctorate in music and re-start my oboe reed business; selling my handmade oboe reeds to students, semi-professionals, and occasionally professionals. The reed is the voice of the instrument, the vibrating part, which is a very nuanced craft that I have developed a skill for. Long term, I plan to be a professor of music in the US. In the meanwhile, I am traveling in France, while, prepping for my doctoral auditions in January.
Wish me, good luck readers!
