A jazzy afternoon in the park with Shyamant Behal at Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa
Music is therapeutic; it has the ability to make us feel. It could be exploring different genres or listening to that one song on repeat – the music hits home.
So many different genres of music and musicians make their way to Goa one way or another. Today’s someone special is Shyamant Behal, a classical guitarist and music teacher at Goa Jazz Academy in Goa.
“I have been living in Goa for ten years, and have heard and met a number of great musicians here. I had been to Goa previously for a couple of concerts but did not spend much time in the state. The move was not planned, it just happened, more or less, and I am still here ten years later,” shared Shyamant.
Shyamant began learning the piano at the tender age of about 7 or so. He continued for a few years and then switched to learning the guitar at the Delhi School of Music when he was almost 14.
He received a scholarship from the French government to study at the École Normale de Musique de Paris, where he graduated in 2007.
Being here in serene Goa in December is exciting as it is, but what makes it even more exciting is the Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF) that is just around the corner!
Let us take the liberty of imagining an afternoon in the park, lying or sitting on the ground and listening to some good music, because this is exactly what Shyamant has curated for us with his project “Music in the park”.
The genre Shyamant has chosen for this “Music in the park” is jazz. The main inspiration for curating an event like this was the fact that Goa has such a long and rich history of jazz, and this would also serve as a unifying theme for the event.
About choosing the bands, Shyamant said, “Goa does indeed have a number of jazz lovers, and some very fine jazz musicians as well. I have enjoyed listening to a number of them over the years, and some of them will be playing at the festival as well. Some of the choices of bands I have made as a curator for this event are directly related to them being jazz bands. Some of the others were chosen because I have heard them perform and felt that the venue was perfect for them.”
Embrace the respite and healing offered by melodious jazz music. The list of performers includes Joanne Fernandes, The Everyday People/Kristian Bent, Smruti Jalpur, Karan Khosla Quartet, The Rum n Colas, Still Waters - Lester Godinho, Jazzmatazz, Eunoia-Swing Jazz Bebop and Sambucada.
“It’s nothing more than a relaxing afternoon in the park. I am hoping that this event turns out to be something that can be a pleasant experience for everyone attending,” Behal concluded.
WHERE: Art Park, Campal
WHEN: December 15 – December 23, 2022
TIME: 2 pm to 5 pm