Neecia Majolly

Neecia Majolly is a leading Indian concert pianist, conductor, singer, teacher and composer.

Neecia Majolly's development as a musician included piano studies with her parents in Brunei Darussalam, with Vivien Ngo (Singapore), Dr. John Roberts (Perth, Australia), and vocal studies with Shelagh Molyneax (Singapore). Giving her first public performance at the age of 6, Neecia has several successful solo performances to her credit in Malaysia, Singapore, Western Australia, Brunei, Sweden, USA and India, and was an accompanist to Russian-American violinist Galina Heifetz in India. She has recorded for radio and television.

In 1992, Neecia was awarded the Stephanie Coleman Prize for Best Graduating Pianist from the Western Australian Conservatorium of Music, Perth, the Rex Hobcroft Award in 1991 for Best Pianist at the Inaugural Chamber Music Competition (Western Australian Conservatorium of Music, Perth), and in 2001, the Edgar Fewkes Memorial Award for outstanding musician (voice) in the southern Indian region. In addition, she holds an ALS (Associate of La Salle - SIA College of the Arts, Singapore) in both performance and principles of teaching, ALCM (Associate of the London College of Music) in music theatre, LTCL (Licentiate of the Trinity College, London) in piano, voice and principles of teaching, LRSM (Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music, London) in piano, and the FTCL (Fellowship of the Trinity College, London) in piano.

As a much sought after piano and celebrity vocal coach, Neecia has taught at the Delhi School of Music, the Bangalore School of Music, Technics Music School (Sabah, Malaysia), and teaches privately in Bangalore (including vocal training and interpretative workshops), where she has been living since 1995. Neecia was the Founder-Director and President of the Bangalore Society of Performing Arts (BSPA), and was the artistic adviser to the National Philharmonic of India. She also worked as radio presenter of Western Classical Music in New Delhi during the period 1993-94, as well as critiquing for two major newspapers, Deccan Herald as well as the Indian Express, during the period 1995-96. She is ex-All-Karnataka representative of the London College of Music Examinations(LCME).

Neecia is the Founder-Trustee of the Majolly Music Trust which aims to raise the standard of Western Classical Music in India and has the unique distinction of having created a pension fund for aged and infirm musicians due to absence of any framework of social security in India.

Under her baton, two choirs, Madrigals, Etc which specialises in music from the Renaissance period and the Camerata, have earned a firm reputation in India for being unique in their choice of repertoire and quality of presentation. The year 2001 saw the historic performance of Handel's "Messiah" for choir, soloists and full-fledged orchestra, the likes of which had never been experienced in India before. The former choir launched, in October 2009, the first ever western classical music album in India The Renaissance Begins. She now has a piano album Gold Spa by Universal Audio, USA 'Femusica',formed in 2019, is an all-women choir presenting music by only women composers which made their debut in Chennai in September 2019 that also included the world premiere of 'Haiku 1' for mezzo soprano and piano.

Neecia has recently been empaneled in the Indian Council for Cultural Relations panel of musicians for Western Classical Piano.

Neecia's band 'The Majolly Project' won two Global Music Awards for their debut single 'Dark Room' in the 'Emerging Global Artist' and 'Best Song' categories. It has also been nominated for the IMEA Awards in the Rock Song of the Year category for Dark Room. The second single 'Whitebone' on the disturbing but urgent issue of ivory poaching, bagged the GMA silver medals for 'Best Song' and 'Best Video' in 2015.The third single 'The Other Side' was nominated at the IMEA for Rock Song of the Year and Rock Artist of the Year in 2016. May 2017 saw the release of The Majolly Project's debut album 'Please'. 2018 saw a big win at the 5th IMEAs with 'Alternative Artist of the Year', the first Indian to win in this category.April 2019 at the Clive Davis Theatre at the Grammy Museum, Hollywood, the award of 'Best Alternative Song' was bagged at the Indie Music Channel Awards, firmly putting The Majolly Project among the best of the best in the independent music world. 'Whitebone', 'Fenced Circle' and 'Please' have also been doing the International Film Festival rounds, with the first video on ivory poaching especially getting the most attention with its mix of classic animation and sand art. Nominations and wins include The Monthly Film Festival& 'Feel the Reel" International Film Festival (Glasgow), Short To The Point (Bucharest), Eurasia International Monthly Film Festival, Rome Prisma Film Awards, Canberra Short Film Festival, European Film Festival Mainstream and Underground, Top Indie Film Awards, Filmstrip International Film Festival (Romania), International Film Festival Ambitus (Russia), Oregon Short Film Festival, and the Mumbai International Film Festival.

• "A brilliant virtuoso, her choice of the Waldstein Sonata in C Op.53 of Beethoven showed the clarity and command she has over the keyboard". – The Hindustan Times, New Delhi, 18 September 1998
• "Neecia Majolly’s recital reached a high level. If expressed briefly, it was the performer’s natural flair for the instrument and also her utter clarity of conception and expression that was her most impressive quality". – The Hindu, Chennai, 2 October 1998
• “'Madrigals, Etc.' …..is one of the best vocal combos….” – Deccan Herald, Bangalore, 6 September 1999
• “….the vocal and chamber ensemble, Madrigals, Etc., once again claimed kudos as one of the city’s most polished performing groups of Western art music…. Majolly held her audience throughout the two-hour recital by carefully varying the moods, textures, and tempo of successive selection of the 15 – item programme…..Her playing emphasized dynamics, technical virtuosity, sheer speed and stamina, impressive as it was, this type of brio only exhibits a small part of the expressive range she showed as a singer and accompanist". – Deccan Herald, Bamgalore, 3 July 2000
• "Neecia Majolly, known for her virtuosity at the piano and as the conductor of the Madrigals Choir, must be congratulated for her effort in bringing forth this production ('Messiah') The choir was truly magnificent" – The Sunday Times of India, Bangalore, 5 August 2001
• "Musical history was made in Bangalore recently. One of the masterpieces in western classical music – Handel’s Messiah – was performed in full by a 45 strong group here". - The Economic Times, Bangalore, 12 August 2001
• "Opening the evening with a very positive performance of the Shostakovich Prelude and Fugue in e minor, she established herself effortlessly in perfect control…with the two Brahms Rhapsodies…., the performer was in her element….the performance was a treat for the listener". – The Hindu, Chennai, 15 November 2002
• "Most people are unaware of Renaissance music, but now, thanks to the work done by Neecia and Madrigals, Etc., people are learning to appreciate and understand it". – The Times of India, Bangalore, 28 June 2003
• "A powerful all women choir made up of 2 sopranos and 2 altos that feature only women composers,singers and accompanists... Interestingly, Bengaluru is home to, probably, the only such choir in the country. Aptly called Femusica, the team has been put together by Bengaluru based pianist, singer, composer, producer and music teacher Neecia Majolly." - "Bangalore Times, 16 September 2019"