About the Artist

Anurag Naidu

Piano

Anurag Naidu is a Pianist with specialisations in Western Classical Music and Jazz. Having procured his Licentiate diploma in Western Classical Piano performance from Trinity College London, he went on to study jazz at the Bill Evans Piano Academy in Paris. After which he completed his master's at the Jean Wiener Conservatory in Paris in the subjects of pedagogy, musical arrangement, band dynamics, composition and music therapy. Semi-finalist in two separate all-Indian piano competitions, Con Brio and Musiquest, he went on to give notable performances at the NCPA under Stop Gaps' Young Talent and Neecia Majolly's foundation in Bangalore in his formative years. Having done a whole host of exams ranging from Western Classical music to Rockshchool to Jazz to Advanced Music Theory, Anurag dedicated his talent to play in the music scene in India and France. Having done several concerts in both countries at prestigious Jazz venues, he went on to write his debut album, "J'ai Fame" which received critical acclaim from magazines like The Rolling Stones in India. Having shared the stage with Indian legends like A.R. Rahman, Zakir Husain, A Hariharan, Shilpa Rao, Gino Banks, Louiz Banks and Sanjay Divecha to name a few, he created and accompanied several different genres and formations of bands ranging from Gospel to RnB, Neo Soul to Jazz, Hip Hop to Hindustani Classical and Blues to Fusion. He developed a versatile approach to tackling genres and came up with a unique sound that was part of several independent music projects, including up-and-coming artists of the present scene. His pedagogy style is to have a practical approach to problem-solving, ranging from different genres. He's well versed in teaching using the Russian technique, to produce sound from the piano in a resonant manner and working with the economy of movement and minimum tension. He's well known for writing arrangements to help students tackle modern pieces as well as developing exercises for tailor-made problems occurring in each genre. He has vast experience teaching over 15 years, teaching at several academies and privately. However, his later appointments in Paris and Mumbai were at Conservatories providing a bachelor's degree, where he curated, wrote and was the director of several modern departments including jazz, arrangements, piano, and compositions to name a few. His experience in teaching also covers students of all ages with flexible goals and orientation to help each student achieve the maximum from a class. Anurag has helped students achieve success in examinations at the Trinity, ABRSM and LCME exams. He also organises several workshops to help adults rediscover their love for music. His students benefit from frequent recitals that are aimed to enjoy music performance. He has given workshops and lectures throughout the country on music analysis, appreciation and performance. Several of his students procured diplomas themselves and topped the Western region in Examinations in India. Part of several televised events like MTV Unplugged for 2 seasons, he has also been one of the most favoured sessions musicians in Mumbai having played and composed music in web series, movies and ad films. He hopes to bring all that experience into teaching to help his students achieve the maximum possible from the course in itself.