Rahman's giant line-up Invites international and Indian music legends to his school in Chennai
Soumyadipta Banerjee and Prithwish Ganguly Maestros Ravi Shankar, Zakir Hussain, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Amjad Ali Khan, Shivkumar Sharma, Kenny G and Yanni are some of the legends who, sources say, have been invited by Oscar-nominated music composer AR Rahman to pay a visit to his music school the KM Music Conservatory in Chennai. Apparently, talks are also on to try and bring down Andrew Lloyd Webber, who produced Rahman's musical Bombay Dreams in 2002. An inside source says, "The programme will be held for the initiation of the second batch of students to the school, which was formally launched on March 12 last year. The programme may also mark the announcement of the school moving to a quieter environment, a lush green five-acre campus on the outskirts of Chennai. Right now, the school operates from Rahman's studio. The new campus will have spacious class rooms, a concert hall, a recording studio and residential accommodation for the faculty and students. The campus should be ready by next year-end." Another source adds, "The aim is to get the students to interact with the legends, so that they get to learn something from these giants. Rahman wants all his students to have a sound base in music, and wants them to know different genres of music. These esteemed guests might also become a part of the visiting faculty of the school. They will individually spend time with each student and help them out with their queries," the source adds. DNA
