Parvez Doctor founded the Bombay School of Music 27 years ago, in 1973. Joachim Buehler, the former head of Max Mueller Bhavan in Mumbai, was its first artistic director. The School, the only one of its kind in the city, carries out training programmes in Western Classical music for young musicians.

The School made a modest beginning with classes in harmony, counterpoint, Orffschulwerk and the study of the following orchestra instruments - violin, viola, cello, flute, clarinet and trumpet. Later on, classes were added for guitar, piano, ensemble and chamber music. The School, which was registered as a separate trust in 1981, lacks permanent premises. However, the musicians meet at such venues as the Western Railway Institute hall, Bandra or the Ranina Nursery School, at Dadar T T. The Bombay School of Music also sends students to individual teachers, with lessons held at the teacher's premises.

Parvez Doctor, who also founded the B P Orchestras, studied the violin, viola and conducting with various local and foreign teachers. He has performed and conducted orchestras in Bombay, Delhi, Calcutta and has toured India with the Poona German Ensemble. He also played in the World Philharmonic Orchestra under Lorin Maazel at a concert in Rio de Janeiro. Doctor has visited all the principal orchestras and teaching institutions in London. A Stop-Gaps award was given to Parvez Doctor for his dedicated service and committed contribution to the field of music in Mumbai.

Many of Mumbai's young musicians have made their debut under the baton of Doctor. Innumerable singers, soloists, groups and ensembles have found a platform for their music in the popular "Coffee Concert" series organised by Doctor and Bepsy Marzban, of the Bombay School of Music. In the past, the School has organised concerts at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), the Homi Bhabha Auditorium and Max Mueller Bhavan. Today, the School organises concerts either at Patkar Hall or at the Alliance Francaise, both in Churchgate. Bepsy Marzban , the organisational director of the School, has done selfless, full-time honorary service behind the scenes to promote the School's objectives, and organise its events.

The next scheduled concert will be at the Alliance Francaise, on November 3, 2000 , at 6.30pm. The concert is jointly organised by the Alliance Francaise de Bombay and the Bombay School of Music.

Bepsy Marzban can be contacted at : 380 5231.

Author : Patrick Coelho

Photographer : Uma Kadam