A talented Year 12 pupil has enjoyed the opportunity to perform at a major music festival in India, thanks to his earlier success at a UK competition.
Praveen Prathapan, who won the QE Senior House Music Competition, won the Indian music element of the Croydon Festival – one of the biggest Indian music festivals in the area. He was awarded a prize of £1,500 to spend on his own musical development.
He used the money to fund a trip to India where he performed at the prestigious Chennai December Music Festival and visited the music school run by Academy and Grammy Award winner, A R Rahman. A R Rahman, who wrote the score for Slumdog Millionaire, is one of India’s best-known musicians and composers.
“Praveen used the money to great effect and made the most of a fantastic opportunity to take part in such a wonderful festival, broadening his experience and knowledge,” said QE’s Director of Music, Kieron Howe.
Whilst in India, Praveen also conducted a number of interviews with noted Indian musicians as research for his Extended Project Qualification on the growth of Indian music. The EPQ is an additional qualification taken alongside A-levels, designed to stretch the brightest boys. Praveen is seen pictured with N. Ramani (as he is commonly known), the celebrated Indian Carnatic flautist. Praveen himself excels at the bansuri, another type of Indian wooden flute, the instrument upon which he won the Senior House Music Competition.