The two concerts given by Sanya Cotta during her visit to Goa, one sharing the stage with the brilliant young pianist, Andrea and Soprano, Joanne de Mello and the second a duo violin- viola recital with her German co-student, Sabine took music making to new heights and made Goans proud to have fostered such great talent. I was keen to hear this growing talent on completing her second year at the Hochschule fur Musik Nurnberg/ Augsburg.

She played the Westhoff Suite. The sound was exceptionally refined, the tonal shadings more defined yet subtle and delicate. The bowing and the vibrato were flexible and fluid producing a smoothness of sound that was totally enthralling. Here was a young artist scaling the heights of professionalism. She was also playing on beautiful toned violin by Jerome Thibonville-Lamy which an admiring professor had parted with at a very reasonable price. The bow, on loan from the school, is made by Richard Grunke and proved its cost of 2000 euros in worthy hands.

What brought about these changes within a year? Sheer determination, commitment and hard work. Sanya refuses to rest on her laurels. She’s always pushing her way ahead, the quest limitless and undying.

Her day begins early. Breakfast comprising cereal and soya milk. Then four to six hours of practice. Two hours everyday commencing at 8 am and depending on lectures another two hours before lunch. And two hours more upto 10 pm if possible. Lectures occupy most of the day as she is completing two courses simultaneously – as a pedagogue and as a teacher. Only come home to sleep

Of course she completed her second year with flying colours obtaining the highest marks : 1.2 in Pedagogy and 1.7 in Performing. The students come from all corners of the globe – mainly Russia and Japan but China, Greece, Korea are also well represented. Our Indian shines in this Cosmopolitan group, taking top place.

She is into everything: violin –viola duos with her best friend, Sabine, a string quintet group which performed a work by Dvorak and now she’s looking forward to forming a string quartet. The violin-viola duo seems destined to become enshrined within the grooves of a disk. They are extending their repertoire with the Martinu duo claiming their immediate attention. We in Goa are destined to hear the first performance of these new works during Sanya’s next visit.

Another new milestone is orchestral performance. Auditioning is more challenging than actually playing in an orchestra because “you are playing solo without the orchestra and the excerpts are really short so that you have to prove your ability almost immediately. And there are many excerpts from a wide variety of compositions – Mozart’s Sym no 39, Strauss ‘Don Juan’, Wagner’s ‘Siegfred’ Mahler’s Sym no 9, Bruckner Sym no 9, Shostakovich and even a second violion excerpt from a Mendelssohn quartet. The second violin part is sometimes more difficult to play because you have to learn how to join in the overall texture of the piece.” All musicians cannot be soloists all the time “We are advised to do it because it prepares us for auditioning for as job”.

Sanya has to be on the other side of the podium as well. So she has taken up Conducting. “You learn in stages. First with singing groups and later with small groups. Everyone takes turns getting the technique right so that others can understand what you want from them. You can polish your style later.”

Pedagogy requires Psychology and experience in “how to keep your student motivated.” She has three students - 2 children and one adult. Thay are private students. Later she will be allotted students and her lessons will be observed by a panel who will monitor her methodology.

The course is challenging and geared to prepare a young

musician for her career.

Harmony, counterpoint, ear tests, music history, psychology. The Alexander technique – body posture, how to avoid physical health problems by sitting properly while playing in a orchestra, how to prevent neck problems, how you look on stage.- fascinated our young musician. She is now using a shoulder pad to overcome bad posture problems, is alive to stage presence and believes “In today’s world the visual impact is important”.

What about composition? She plans of focusing on that the next year. The course encourages progressive venturing into mastery of all aspects of being a musician.

She’s looking and feeling more confident. She’s conquered her fear of playing by memory. She strides the stage conscious of herself, her playing, her appearance, her impact on her audience. She likes taking risks. Her philosophy guides her: “Its better that something happens than nothing happens. It doesn’t matter if you make a mistake as long as something happens.” SDomething is certainly happening in her life and career.