Madan Gopal Singh

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Madan Gopal Singh is an Indian composer, actor, screenwriter, film theorist, lyricist and editor.

Contents

[edit] Overview

Singh’s doctoral dissertation is the first known semiotic study of some of the seminal texts from Indian cinema. He has written and lectured extensively on cinema, art and cultural history. He teaches English Literature at Satyawati College (Evening Classes)[1].

He delivered the keynote address at the Third Cinema Focus Symposium as part of the Birmingham International Film Festival in 1991. He also introduced a package of films on Ritwik Ghatak and His Tradition at ICA [2], London with a historical perspective on Indian cinema. He also conducted a five-day workshop on Tarkovsky at the World Literature Centre[3] in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

  • Served as Executive Editor, Journal of Arts and Ideas[4], New Delhi for nearly a decade.
  • Served as a Contributing Editor, Cinemaya – the Asian Film Quarterly, for a number of years.
  • Member, HOD’s Committee on the Inaugural Show for the Frankfurt World Book Fair, 2006
  • Member, General Council of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, 2006
  • Visitor's nominee to Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University, 2006

[edit] Writing

Singh is a scriptwriter, having written films like Rasayatra[5] on the well-known Hindustani classical vocalist Mallikarjun Mansur - a film that won the National Award for the best short film in 1995. The film was directed by Nandan Kudhyadi. He wrote the screenplay (jointly with the director of the film, Anup Singh), dialogues and lyrics for a feature-length film, Name of a River[6], [7], [8] (2002), based on the life of the late Ritwik Kumar Ghatak. The film has won the G. Arvindan Award, and the Silver Dhow at the Zanzibar International Film Festival 2002.

He also wrote the Toona adaptation from Baba Bulle Shah which was rendered by Shubha Mudgal for Mira Nair’s Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love[9], and he wrote dialogues for Kaya Taran[10], [11] a film based on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The film was directed by Sashi Kumar and won the G Arvindan Award 2004.

Wrote lyrics for the Aman Ali Ayan Ali album of Lounge music, Truth, produced by Times Music, 2007.

Wrote lyrics for Ustad Amjad Ali Khan's compositions sung by Pankaj Udhaas, Yaara produced by Music Today October 2007[12] and [13]

[edit] Music

He is a singer of Sufi texts and has sung for films like Kumar Shahani’s Kasba and Khayalgatha and Mani Kaul’s Idiot[14]. As a singer, he travelled with the legendary Kurdo-Persian singer Shahram Nazeri to ancient Sufi towns such as Isfahan, Hamadan & Kermenshah. He also performed at the 2nd Sufi Soul World Music Festival held in Lahore, Pakistan in 2001.

Singh was invited to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2002, Washington as a presenter-performer [15]. In all, he gave/made/conducted 28 concerts, presentations and workshops.

He also composed music for the documentary film on Kashmir- Paradise on a River of Hell[16] directed by Meenu Gaur and Abir Bazaz.

He also composed music for Sabiha Sumar’s celebrated Khamosh Pani
[17], [18], [19] – a French-German-Pakistan coproduction. The film has been widely acclaimed and shown the world over. It won the Best Film award at the Locarno Film Festival, 2003

He is married to Professor Rashmi Doraiswamy and has two sons Tejasvam and Ayan Abhiranya.

[edit] Partial timeline

  • September 2004 – invited to make a Lec-Dem presentation at the Intangible Heritage Seminar held in Barcelona as part of the Barcelona Dialog, Forum 2004
  • October 2004 performed at “Another Passage to India” [20] festival held in Geneva and Zurich. Also presented “Name of a River” with the director Anup Singh.
  • 2004-2005 – as a specialist commentator in NDTV India’s Hum Log in a New Year focus on Sufi Music.
  • April 2005 – was invited to Lucas Artists Residency Program at the Montalvo Art Center [21], Saratoga, California. He collaborated with the sound engineer David Fulton to do design music for the Indian artist Ranbir Kaleka’s[22][23] installation that was subsequently exhibited at the Venice Biennale 2005[24].
  • June 2005 – was invited to be part of a prestigious Musician Residency Program called the SOUND RES [26] at San Ceasario, Lecce, Italy. Worked with internationally known, eminent musicians such as

Theo Bleckmann

(Theo Bleckmann’s unusual vocal capabilities have inspired some of today’s great composers such as Mark Dresser, John Hollenbeck, Phil Kline, Ben Monder, Meredith Monk, Kirk Nurock, Bob Ostertag, and Bang on a Can’s David Lang, Michael Gordon and Julia Wolfe, to create pieces especially for and with him. He also lent his voice to Bobby McFerrin’s upcoming recording. Bleckmann has a long-standing track record of working closely with composer and performance artist Meredith Monk and her Vocal Ensemble since 1994 [“mercy’ –ECM records]. Furthermore he has performed with such artists as Laurie Anderson, Anthony Braxton, Steve Coleman, Mark Dresser, Dave Douglas, Philip Glass, John Hollenbeck, Anthony Jackson, Sheila Jordan, Ikue Mori, Ben Monder and the Bang On A Can All-stars and was a guest vocalist wit the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, Estonian Radio Choir, Merce Cunningham Dance Company and Mark Morris Dance Group and contributed his unique vocal capabilities to the soundtrack to Spielberg's “Men in Black”. Bleckmann’s new, ambient solo vocal CD “anteroom” has just been released on Traumton Recordings.)[27]

David Cossin

(David Cossin, curator and percussionist himself, a cutting-edge artist emerging out of the downtown New York scene having recorded and performed internationally with Bang on a Can All-Stars, Steve Reich and Musicians, Philip Glass, Yo-Yo Ma, Meredith Monk, Tan Dun, Cecil Taylor, Don Byron, Orette Coleman, Talujon Percussion Quartet, Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Bo Didley, among others. Collaborations with theater project list Mabou Mines, and Peter Sellars, among others. David Cossin was featured as the percussion soloist in Tan Dun’s Grammy and Oscar winning score to Ang Lee’s film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. A specialist in new and experimental music, comfortable with western and eastern traditions, Cossin managed to stretch the boundaries of percussion performance by incorporating new media across a broad spectrum of musical forms. Through composition, music productions, sound and instrument design, Cossin explores sound in its relationship with space, time, chaos and the perceivers’ involvement, through unique sonic installations and curatorial projects)[28]

Gregg August

(Gregg August lives in New York and is actively involved in the classical as well as Latin and jazz scenes. He performs with the Orchestra of St. Luke's and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and is the assistant principal bass of The Brooklyn Philharmonic. He has performed chamber music with The Brentano Quartet, the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, and for 2 years was the principal bassist of La Orquesta Ciutat de Barcelona in Spain. At the same time he has played and recorded with Ray Barretto, Paquito D'Rivera, James Moody and Kenny Burrell. At present he's the bassist with Ray Vega and his Latin Jazz Sextet.) [29]

David Sheppard

(David Sheppard is one half of Sound Intermedia, a creative and performing force in the world of contemporary classical music and beyond. Dedicated to realising visionary new art works through the interaction of live performers and cutting-edge technology, their trail-blazing initiatives and artistic collaborations continually push past and blur the accepted boundaries of composition, performance, sound design, live sound, music technology and interactive multimedia. Internationally respected both as composers and performers, they collaborate with many of the world’s most influential artists, venues and organisations. Formed in 1996 with Ian Dearden, Sound Intermedia are also critically acclaimed sound designers, recording engineers, multimedia programmers, project consultants, producers and live sound specialists. They work – often again and again from inception to performance – alongside other composers and musicians, dancers, visual artists, sculptors, installation artists, theatre directors, filmmakers, ensembles, orchestras, DJs, promoters, galleries, opera houses, theatres, concert venues, virtual venues, broadcasters, technical suppliers, multimedia producers and audiences. Sound Intermedia’s many prestigious honours – including, most recently, Dearden and Sheppard’s NESTA fellowships – reflect the respect and admiration their work excites. Recent key projects and major ongoing collaborations indicating the calibre of Sound Intermedia’s work include those with John Adams, Peter Sellars, Harrison Birtwistle, Jonathan Harvey, Tan Dun and Warp Records artists; performing with the London Sinfonietta (they are Principals of the virtuoso new music ensemble); and touring their own work Helix.)[30]

and Luca Tarantino

(Luca Tarantino (Lecce) shares and mix the XVI-XVIII centuries repertoire with his taste for experimental and contemporary music. He worked with masters like Smith, Lislevand, Borghese, Egüez, Coelho, Marincola, Cicero. He composed music for theatre and dance projects, performed and recorded with Ensemble Terra d’Otranto, Angelo Branduardi, Logos Ensemble, Ens. Albalonga, Clogs, DJ Gopher, Cappella della Pietà dei Turchini, for labels such like Velut Luna, Royality, Emi Classic) [31]

. Gave highly successful concerts and conducted workshops with them.[32]

  • July 2005 – was invited to an Artist Residency at Torcito[33] in Otronto, Salento, Italy. Worked on the Punjabi love-legend Heer Ranjha with his musicians from India.
  • July 2005 – performed at the Town Hall Festival, Bari, Italy.
  • July 2005 – performed at the Experimenta 2005[34], Alberobello, Italy.
  • December 2005 - invited to lecture at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune
  • January 2006 – composed music for “Beyond Partition” – a film by Lalit Joshi [35], South Asian Cinema Foundation, London.
  • February 2006 – composed music for “Fana’a – Ranjha Revisited” – a musical by Navtej Johar [36]. It was showcased at the Virasat Festival, Patiala recently.
  • May 2006 – participated in the Bonn Biennale, 2006 and appeared as the main chorus in two performances of Agra Bazaar directed by Habib Tanvir
  • October 2006 – Conceived and Designed the inaugural show of the World Book Fair, Frankfurt[37]
  • November 2006 – Presented a package of films at Rio di Janeiro and Auro Preto in an International Festival, Imagem dos Povos, Brazil [38]
  • December 2006 – Performed at the Other Festival[39], Chennai
  • December 2006 – Performed at Kalakshetra, Chennai
  • January 2007 – Performed in the Festival of India[40], Brussels
  • April 2007 - MediArtists Concert - (a lot of factually incorrect information at the following website) [41]at Ludhiana
  • July 2007 - Moderated a discussion on the Cinematic Time at the Osian-Cinefan Film Festival[42], New Delhi. Participants included eminent filmmaker Mani Kaul[43], cinematographer Anil Mehta [44], KU Mohnan[45] and Dilip Verma
  • October 2007 - Before the Hanging - a lead article on Bhagat Singh for Tehelka[46], New Delhi