In October 2023, we welcomed A.R. Rahman to Trinity Laban. His visit followed a headline show at the O2 on Saturday 30 September, his first London performance in six years.
A.R. Rahman dropped in at Laban Building and King Charles Court to check out the work of our Music, Dance and Musical Theatre students, including a Composition seminar and a rehearsal with students Samyuktha Rajagopal (violin) and Martina Joy (viola).
In addition to his glittering career as a composer for screen, A.R. Rahman is the Founder of KM Music Conservatory in Chennai, India. KM Music Conservatory was founded to expand the horizons of musicians in India. While continuing to respect and strengthen the art of Indian music, the institution also offers an education in Western music and music technology. KM Music Conservatory provides students with a strong artistic, intellectual, and technical foundation for pursuing professional careers in music. Students will graduate with an internationally competitive education in Western music and music technology and production. During Principal Anthony Bowne’s visit to India earlier this year, he signed a partnership agreement with KM Music Conservatory, which will lead to students from KMMC being able to split their studies between Chennai and London.
A.R. Rahman is also an Honorary Fellow of Trinity College London in recognition of his vast contribution to music in India.
More about KM Music Conservatory
KM Music Conservatory is a higher education institution founded in 2008 by the A. R. Rahman Foundation. Located in Arumbakkam, Chennai, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the conservatory offers a range of part-time and full-time courses in Hindustani and Western classical music and music technology. Composer A. R. Rahman is the Founder and Principal, Fathima Rafiq, the Executive director.
KMMC is developing a newly founded symphony orchestra, to serve as resident studio orchestra for A.R. Rahman’s compositions and to perform for the general public in Chennai and elsewhere in India.
More about A.R. Rahman
Described as the world’s most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating Eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and traditional orchestral arrangements.
He has won two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, four National Film Awards, fifteen Filmfare Awards and thirteen Filmfare Awards South in addition to numerous other awards and nominations.
His extensive body of work for film and the stage earned him the nickname “the Mozart of Madras”. In 2009, Time placed Rahman in its list of World’s Most Influential People.