Alumni News: December 2024 Edition
Welcome to the December edition of Alumni News! Scroll below to check out our latest stories!
Rishabh Sharma ‘04 and Greta Svabo ‘06: Alumni musicians give back
Learning hits a high note when a couple of established alumni musicians join in the lessons at Dover Campus’ Music Department. From EDM beats to Indian fusion melodies, it’s wonderful to see alumni being part of the learning experience on campus.
Songwriter and producer, Rishabh was invited by music teacher, Miles Tranter to work with Grade 10 music students and share knowledge and resources regarding Indian Fusion Music. Having worked with the Berklee Indian Ensemble and produced music for known artists in India, including Shreya Ghoshal, Shekhar Ravjiani, Shilpa Rao, and Divine, he shared knowledge, techniques, resources and the seeds to inspire them to create magic.
The sessions were an absolute blast! I had such a great time working alongside Miles – jamming with the students and hearing their music influences, culture and individual expression while bringing them out of their comfort zone. It’s been an incredible experience coming back to school, walking the same hallways where it all began, and reconnecting with the teachers and mentors who inspired my journey in music.
Grammy-nominated musician and songwriter Greta, based in the South of France, might have been miles away from Dover Road, but she managed to join a Grade 7 music lesson virtually. Through a captivating video, she shared insights into her musical journey and delivered an acoustic performance of Raise Your Weapon, a song by DJ DeadMau5 on which she was a guest artist.
Greta was an active music student, playing violin in ensembles and shows like Cabaret and was also a singer in various ensembles and solo performance evenings when she was here.
Check Greta out on Spotify!
Khairy Jamaluddin ‘94: Crowned Popular Radio Presenter
Congratulations to Khairy, also known as KJ, former Health Minister turned radio personality, who received the award at the 36th Anugerah Bintang Popular Berita Harian (ABPBH) in Malaysia. From politics to podcasts, his debut on Hot FM in early 2023 quickly captured listeners' hearts, and his win was nothing short of expected, defeating four other experienced candidates in his category.
Despite achieving success as a radio presenter, KJ still harbours the desire to restart his political career:
This new world is just a pit stop for me, maybe when the time is right, I will return to my natural world of politics.
Meher Jaffri ‘02: Filmmaker inspired heavily by UWCSEA
From the Main Hall to the big stage, award winning filmmaker Meher delivered The White Plague as a commercial theatrical production in Pakistan. She shared how the ideation began as a theatre student in UWCSEA which compelled her to resurrect the play she was in more than 24 years ago under the tutelage of her former drama teachers, Jonathan Carter and Andy.
The White Plague, originally written by the renowned Czech playwright Karel Capek in 1937, was skilfully adapted into Urdu by Meher. It took her several years of starts and stops but after two successful runs in Karachi and Lahore in recent months, it was time we caught up with Meher and hear her story.
Tell us about yourself. What did you do after graduation? Have you done anything after leaving UWCSEA that connected you back to the College and/or UWC movement (UWC Pakistan Committee)?
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I’m an actor, filmmaker and theatre-maker living in Pakistan. My first exposure to theatre and drama was through IB Theatre Arts Higher in 2000 that I was taught by Jonathan Carter and Andy that was the basis of my future career. Through connections by the Alumni Team, I am now in contact with Jonathan and he had coincidentally been involved with the Pakistan UWC National Committee which led me to connect with them of which I am an active member now. |
Can you recall any specific teachers, activities, classes, or other experiences at UWCSEA that helped shape where you are now?
There are moments from my Drama classes that are significant memories and even many years down the line as an actor, director and now drama teacher as well, I vividly remember. The world of Greek theatre – Commedia, Stanislavski, Brecht, Grotowski and Brecht – inspired me and possibly shaped my career. Greek theatre led me to dive into Greek philosophy in undergrad and the production of our final theatre play, The White Plague (written by Czech playwright Karel Capek) that Jonathan and Andy directed. It all came full circle in recent months when I directed an Urdu adaptation for the stage in Karachi and Lahore that received critical acclaim.
Walk us through the journey of creating The White Plague in 2024. How did a UWCSEA play from over 20 years ago inspired the production?
That production of our theatre, cruelty training and experimenting really left a great impression on me and that play stayed with me over the years. So much so that when the pandemic and the lockdown hit in 2020, I dusted off my copy of Capek's collection of plays and began workshopping the play with some theatre colleagues over Zoom.
It took several years of starts and stops since there is essentially no public funding for the theatre arts in Pakistan but I managed to pull it off and directed and produced an Urdu adaptation of "The White Plague" a few months ago in August at The Art's Council, Karachi followed by Lahore in September.
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