Celebrating the young musicians of UPES

On this World Music Day, let us look at the music clubs of UPES, their long list of accomplishments, and their journey so far

World Music Day or Fête de la Musique is an annual celebration that takes place on June 21 to honour amateur and professional musicians. On this World Music Day, let us look at the music clubs of UPES, their long list of accomplishments, and their journey so far.

Lazarus; the Performing Art Society of UPES has been ranked in the top ten cultural societies by the brand Realme. The members of Lazarus have more than seven bands and participate in solos, duos, and trios as well. Members have performed on many prestigious platforms such as Mussoorie Winter Carnival, Maldevta Paragliding Festival, World Integrity Centre (WIC), MTV Beats, Red FM, Colours TV, Sony Music, the annual cultural fest of Uttarakhand, UPES Pre-Convocation, and many more. Apart from these, the society also performs at local cafes, conducts workshops, and invites professional musicians for sessions.

Says, Dr. Monika Manglik, Chief Club Coordinator of School for Life club, “UPES family encourages students to not only excel academically but also learn to value the simple pleasures of life such as music and dance. The music society of UPES has been one of the most successful cultural societies over the last few years. The society consists of a convenor and then among the student members, it has President, Vice President, and General Secretary. The society participates in all the prestigious competitions all over the country and non-competitive gigs and concerts as well. Our only aspiration in the years to come is that we remain true to our roots, achieve greater heights, and continue to win people’s hearts.”

Vultus-Amogh is the official music band of UPES. Formed with four people in 2017 it consists of guitarists, drummers, vocalists, EDM producers, instrumentalists, and lyricists. Members of the society raised funds by performing at cafeterias across Dehradun to expand their repository of musical instruments. The band has performed at IIT Roorkee, Mood Indigo, Radio Mirchi talent hunt, MTV talent hunt show, and other events. The band has been the winner of ‘URJAA-War of Bands’ for two consecutive years (2015-2016). The band also reached the finals of ‘Business Conclave 2019’, and ‘Ignite – Talent Hunt’.

Some other bands at UPES are Dead wing, Prayas, Malang, Polite Devastation, Varchasva, Reverb, Orion, Crumbled dreams, and Paracosm.

On the selection procedure, Yash Pandey, from Amogh band says, “To be a member, applicants go through three rounds of the audition. In the first round, they have to sing a song of their choice; in the second they have to sing a song of the society panel’s choice, and then finally give an oral test which checks their knowledge of music. The whole process takes about five days. Tonality, pitch, and pronunciation are extremely important to be a member of Lazarus.”

“The society covers several genres of music, from jazz to pop, and many others. The team participates will full zeal at all university functions. The members work hard and strive to participate in inter-college competitions. Students are also encouraged to participate in workshops to increase their knowledge of music and expand not just as a choir, but as individual musicians as well,” says Priyansh Bhargava, member of the rock band.

Ashmit Dubey from Amogh group says, “Band members hold regular jamming sessions and engage with the audience on social media platforms and YouTube. We practice a lot by ourselves, as our focus is the competitions. Team-building activities and rigorous practise sessions are held frequently. Moreover, the society is not led by an individual alone. All members are equal partners and the band is a collective effort.”