Mia Maria Raju, an IB music student of our Class of 2023, had recently had the privilege of being chosen to be a part of the South Asian Symphony Orchestra as a violist & to Cultural Residency with the G20 Cultural Summit as a US representative for the G20 Orchestra
Mia has been playing the violin since the age of four. Her first glimpse of orchestra life was at the British International School Shanghai where, in third grade, she was a part of the school’s String Ensemble and the Chamber Orchestra. The thrill of attempting to interpret and reflect beautiful music with a group of diverse musicians has never waned, and Mia has enjoyed various orchestral opportunities with the Bangalore School of Music’s Chamber Orchestra, The Bangalore String Ensemble, The Indian National Youth Orchestra, Ricky Kej’s World Ensemble and the South Asian Symphony Orchestra since.
South Asian Symphony Orchestra seeks to build cross-cultural bridges with themes of global interconnection. The South Asian Symphony Foundation (SASF) promotes “greater cultural integration for the cause of peace in our region of South Asia, through the medium of music”. With musicians from various regions of South Asia, and diasporic citizens from across the globe, the orchestra held a music residency with workshops and masterclasses that culminated in a concert called “Peace Notes”.
Most recently, Mia had the privilege of attending a Cultural Residency with the G20 Cultural Summit as a US representative for the G20 Orchestra. A vision of artistic director Ananda Sukarlan, the G20 orchestra was an attempt to build a world orchestra with musicians from all participating countries in order to break barriers and send a message of harmony and peace. A 70 member orchestra with some of the best musicians from member countries spent two weeks hosted by the government of Indonesia and prepared to showcase both western and indigenous masterpieces at an impressive concert at the UNESCO Heritage site – the ancient Borobudur Temple in Central Java. Attending this G20 Cultural Event were the Cultural Ministers, delegates and ambassadors of all the G20 countries.
Mia, fresh from the hectic and rewarding experience with TISB’s inter school fest VIVUM, was more than ready for this incredible experience. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Mia shared how beautifully music helped to transcend all language barriers. Mia has gained several new understandings of herself as a musician. The joy of playing with confidence, the transformative power of not viewing daily practice as a chore and an increased sense of self-confidence are Mia’s take-aways from the G20 orchestra experience. “I was the youngest musician there, and having been so closely connected with the other musicians over these past weeks, I learnt a lot about what it would be like to be a professional musician. Being able to converse with people from all around the world gave me the opportunity to learn more about how important open mindedness is, and led me to the realisation that travelling the world with my music is something that I am eager to continue doing.”
We are truly grateful for stellar students like Mia who make TISB proud!
