Surendran Reddy
Surendran Reddy (born March 9, 1962 in Durban ; † January 22, 2010 in Konstanz ) was a South African composer and pianist as well as an outstanding exponent of the combination of classical and jazz, which he called Clazz .
Life and musical career
Surendran Reddy was already celebrated as a child prodigy as a 14-year-old pianist in southern Africa. At the age of 15 he won a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music in London , which he graduated with several awards at the age of 19. During his student days he gave concerts at Wigmore Hall , St. Martin-in-the-Fields and Queen Elizabeth Hall .
After his return to South Africa he taught at various universities and colleges, played as a classical concert pianist with all the major symphony orchestras in the country and accompanied Kiri Te Kanawa and the Harlem Dance Company , among others .
As a composer, he has repeatedly written commissioned compositions for national and international music competitions. His compositions have been performed in Russia , Canada and Germany , among others . Reid Anderson , artistic director of the Stuttgart Ballet , choreographed his Four Romantic Piano Pieces . In 1996, Surendran Reddy was commissioned by the South African Musicians' Rights Organization as one of seven South African composers to compose Masakane , a work to be performed at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta , USA.
Surendran Reddy wrote jingles for radio and television and was the musical director of several shows. He worked for many years as a studio musician for the South African Broadcasting Corporation and recorded several CDs, including two solo albums.
With his fusion jazz band Channel 18 , he played regularly at the largest music and cultural festivals in South Africa. Band members were Rob Watson (drummer with Johnny Clegg's band Savuka ), Denny Lalouette (studio bassist) and Bruce Cassidy (former trumpeter of Blood, Sweat & Tears ). As part of their Campaign for Real Time project , the keyboard duo Surendran Reddy and Andreas Apitz presented their own compositions at the Frankfurt Music Fair .
Since 1995 Surendran Reddy lived in Konstanz , where he worked as a freelance pianist, composer and music teacher. His last projects included seminars on the subject of racism (in cooperation with Swiss universities), a world music project with the tabla player Florian Schiertz and a Clazz commissioned composition for the 11th Unisa International Piano Competition 2008 in Pretoria, South Africa .
music
In Surendran Reddy's compositions and improvisations merge elements and influences from various genres and styles: classical, jazz from standard to fusion, traditional African music, current South African Township - Mbaqanga Surendran created rhythms, rock, blues, etc. With this particular mixture Reddy a new musical style: Clazz .
Works: selected compositions
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Web links
- Surendrans website
- Short portrait with photo
- Music world mourns the loss of renowned pianists , Südkurier , January 29, 2010.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Reddy, Surendran |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | South African composer and pianist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 9, 1962 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Durban , South Africa |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 22, 2010 |
| Place of death | Constancy |