Music

In 2011, Annette Philip had a dream of bringing together musicians from around the world in a safe space to explore and express themselves through Indian music. More than a decade later, she has succeeded in sharing that sound on a global scale. The founder and artistic director of Berklee India Exchange at Berklee College of Music, Philip recently led a group of 98 musicians from 39 countries to produce the Grammynominated album Shuruaat. We talked to her about what this journey has meant so far and where it’s heading next.

by Abhijit Masih

What do you think has helped in making Indian music into this global sound?

We encourage our members to bring their cultural influences, flavors, stories and musical nuances into the arrangement so that there is a fluid exchange of ideas and signature musical elements that everyone is able to imbibe and offer as a whole. It’s very interesting to hear Indian musical nuances interpreted through the lens of a different culture. It surprises you and makes you think in ways you may not otherwise.

Audiences feel the joy we experience while making the music, whether it’s a live performance or music video. The energy and the willingness to make space for another’s culture and our commitment to learning and speaking each other’s musical “language” is what sets BIE apart.

Explain the vision behind the album Shuruaat.

We had toyed for years with the idea of releasing an album. It felt natural to call our debut Shuruaat which means “ beginning ” in Hindi. The languages include Sanskrit, Tamil, Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, Konnakol and scat syllables. There are 98 musicians from 39 countries who are featured on the album and in total about 200 people who helped bring this project to life!

Can you speak about the work you’ve done with ethical music business practices?

We have set up Berklee’s first equitable systems to ensure that everyone who is part of the album—not just the performers, but also the producers, arrangers, and any engineers who are not already paid as a work-for-hire—to share in the album’s continued success through a prorated revenue share. For life. We hope this becomes the norm in the industry, and for more artists to understand their rights and worth.

How was the Grammy experience? This was our first time submitting and attending the Grammy ceremonies in Los Angeles. It was exhilarating and overwhelming, and a massive learning experience for our entire team. I’m such a production gal, I was nerding out on the production aspects of the events, as we will soon produce our first stadium show. What better platform to get inspiration from!

The number of streams the Berklee India Ensemble has on YouTube