Holy Cross Professor Recognized for Musical Excellence

The Massachusetts Cultural Council has awarded Holy Cross professor Shirish Korde, composer of the multimedia chamber opera Phoolan Devi: The Bandit Queen an unrestricted $7,500 grant. Korde was one of only 15 out of 416 eligible applicants across the state awarded the highest honor bestowed upon any artist by the Cultural Council. Four of those 15 are composers.

Korde is professor and chair of the music department at Holy Cross, as well as a renowned composer. He graduated from the master of music program at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston and completed his graduate studies at Brown University. He has won a number of awards — both national and international — over the course of his career. He has been a member of the Holy Cross faculty since 1976.

“This is the fourth time I’ve been awarded [by the Cultural Council],” Korde said. “I’ve been very lucky.”

Phoolan Devi: The Bandit Queen premiered on the Holy Cross campus in April 2010. The work examines and dramatizes the life of Phoolan Devi, an Indian woman born into a lower-caste family and sold into marriage at age 11. After being deserted by her husband and kidnapped by a gang shortly thereafter, Phoolan Devi became a feared and admired bandit dedicated to helping the poor. Her life ended at age 37 in 2001 when, after being elected to India’s House of Parliament, she was shot in the streets of Delhi.

The opera, which will be performed in New York in the 2011-’12 season, merges a variety of musical traditions, both Western and Asian, to create a unique and original experience. Korde’s score calls for three singers and 10 musicians (including sitar and tabla players), as well as a choir and 12 actor-dancers. The wide range of styles included Vedic chant, Bollywood, jazz, and contemporary music.

Korde plans to use the grant money to help with several ongoing projects, including recording the music from Phoolan Devi at WGBH, Boston’s public radio station. He will also record a recently composed piece scored for cello and string orchestra. Once recorded, WGBH will play Korde’s music on air.

In addition to recording, Korde is currently writing a cello concerto for the Boston-based cellist, Jan Müller-Szeraws.

While his goal as a professional is simply “to continue to write music,” the educator in Korde reflects the mission of the organization that honored him. “I want my students to get excited about a wide range of music, including world music and contemporary Western art music,” he said.

“I want to help my students become better listeners so that they can develop a better appreciation for the profound nature of art and music.”

The Massachusetts Cultural Council is a state agency “committed to building a central place for arts and culture” in Massachusetts. In addition to the grants, the nonprofit group pursues its mission through services and advocacy for cultural organizations, schools, communities and artists.

For more information on Korde, visit his website.