25th Anniversary of the Festival of Festive Music December 18, 2008

collaboration with The Stop-Gaps Cultural Academy and supported by the Tata Group in the service of the arts. It does seem like a many-splendoured feast. Following on the heels of the SOI and the Zubin Mehta concerts comes the Stop-Gaps` Festival of Festive Music, a three-day event, featuring five choirs from Chennai, Pune, Delhi and Mumbai. They will not repeat any carols. The second half of each evening''s performance will have the Stop-Gaps Choral Ensemble sing pieces that they have won renown for over the last 25 years in acknowledgement of the support that Mumbai audiences have given them. Their repertoire will include the ever popular ‘Aa jaa re`, and the ‘Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy`, set in verbal arrangement. The stage décor promises to be a surprise for this special jubilee event, a harbinger of the Christmas spirit. With the theme being ``25 Years of Plenty``, the audience can look forward to memorable riches coming their way. The event will also see the announcement of three awardees, selected for their contribution to international music. They are Situ Singh Buehler from Delhi, who was once a leading soprano in Mumbai; Gita Chacko, a music teacher from Bangalore, and Veera Pooniwala from Pune, who has been running two choirs for the last 15 years.