Panaji, Goa, October 3, 2025: Kala Academy, Goa’s Department of Western Music, showcased its Annual Day Concert on October 1 at the Dinanath Mangeshkar Kala Mandir (located on campus), bringing together students, teachers, and music enthusiasts for an evening of Western classical music. The event featured solos, ensembles, choirs, and orchestral performances, highlighting the academy’s commitment to nurturing musical talent and promoting Western classical music in Goa.
The concert opened with the Junior Choir performing Butterfly under the guidance of Tr. Dynisha Abreu. Felix Vaz followed on keyboard with Mozart’s Turkish March, and a guitar ensemble led by Sir Myron Mascarenhas presented Saint-Saëns’ The Swan. The pianoforte duet Witches’ Flight by Russell was performed by Jemimah Homen and Karoline Sanfrancisco, while vocalist Vanya Pereira sang Fair Robin I Love, accompanied by Tr. Louella Fernandes. Junior string ensembles, directed by Trs. Gorette Pinheiro and Frederika Cotta, performed works by Mazas, Stamitz, Bach, and Smetana. Solo performances included Chris Vaz on guitar, Kristine Sanfrancisco on pianoforte, and Natasha Pereira on violin, accompanied by Tr. Ranisa Azavedo.
The programme continued with pianists Analee and Nicole Pereira performing Brahms’ Hungarian Dance, a violin duo by Adriano Braganza and Vivek Costa Frias, a vocal trio—Tabitha de Mello, Janice Parras, and Vinita Freitas—singing The Lark in the Morn, and guitar quartets performing compositions by Akis Filios and Lou Ward. The Senior Choir, conducted by Tr. Preethi Coutinho, performed Greg Camp’s All Star, accompanied by Tr. Louella Fernandes, and the Konkani folk song Kunnbi Jaki.
Fr. Romeo Monteiro, Director of the Department of Western Music, thanked Kala Academy Chairman Dr. Pramod Sawan and the Directorate of Art and Culture for their continuous support. He also acknowledged outgoing Member Secretary Shri Arvind Khutkar and welcomed Shri Shankar Gaonkar as the new Member Secretary, who presented prizes to meritorious students and congratulated them on their achievements.
The concert concluded with a grand finale by the Kala Academy Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Fr. Monteiro. The orchestra performed Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major with soloist Rhea Dias, followed by Monk’s Abide with Me, featuring nearly 135 performers on stage, including the orchestra, choirs, and children.
Reuella Azavedo, a teacher of electronic keyboard, and Clyde de Araujo, a student at Kala Academy, anchored the entire programme.
Audience members praised the concert’s artistry. Speaking to Catholic Connect, Monica Fernandes from Merces called it a “true musical blessing”. Fr. Alexandre Pereira, Parish Priest of Moira, said Fr. Monteiro’s arrangement of Abide With Me “lifted the audience into the Divine”.
The concert highlighted the dedication and talent of the students and faculty of the Department of Western Music, leaving the audience inspired and eager for more similar celebrations of classical music in the future.
By Bro. Malvino Alfonso OCD
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