Building bridges with his flute

For most musicians, stage performances are the end-goal, the culmination of behind-the-scenes effort.

- Clement Yong

But when Dr Ghanavenothan Retnam refers to practice, it is with an almost fearful, hallowed reverence - performing is one-off, but practice is for life.

His practice began when he was a teenager, involving intensive, one-on-one sessions with guru Pandit M. Ramalingam, a friend of his father, pioneer musician R. Retnam.

"Without practice, I wouldn't get my breakfast," says the 63-year-old Cultural Medallion 2024 recipient.

"I was rushing to practise, so I could eat and go to school. But when I made a mistake, my father would say, 'Eh?', and turn to me. I couldn't bluff him."

A critically acclaimed composer and flautist and the founder of Singapore's first Carnatic flute ensemble, Dr Ghanavenothan is best known for his cross-cultural creations, which he has taken to festivals in India, Taiwan and Bali.

In his career spanning over four decades, two turning points had the most marked effects on his musical trajectory.

The first was brought about by his family friend, late dance doyenne Santha Bhaskar, who steered him into Singapore's vibrant dance scene in the 1980s, setting him up for mainstream acclaim.

Dr Ghanavenothan had been composing for Indian orchestras since he was in university, but knew nothing about dance.

"Mr Bhaskar was very strict. I was very scared of him," he recalls of K.P. Bhaskar, husband of dancer-choreographer Mrs Bhaskar.

"But Mrs Bhaskar made cookies for us. Then I learnt her choreography by observing. The eye movements, leg movements, the story and footwork were all very intricate."