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Doon School Choir Performance Fundraiser
Dear All,
It gives us great pleasure to inform you of the forthcoming visit of The Doon School Choir and Orchestra Ensemble for a performance in Delhi on April 2, 2005.
In 1997, the Doon School Choir and Orchestra Ensemble performed at the Kamani auditorium – the first such venture in the School’s history – made possible by the prodigious efforts of the Doon School Old Boys Society. A studio recording was made and released. This event led to heightened interest and a wonderful growth and development of the musical talent in School. The enthusiastic support of Parents, Old Boys and friends of the School, as well as the Headmaster and members of the Board of Governors has seen the Music School evolve and flourish over the past decade.
The repertoire of the School’s musicians continues to grow. A Guitar Ensemble has developed recently. Our Percussion Band is capable of much “Sound and Fury”. The School’s Pop Band is rocking! Most importantly the School’s Choir and Orchestra remains the most comprehensive and representative format for the presentation of the School’s musical talent.
Our Concert in Delhi and soon after in Dubai will give us the opportunity of presenting a considerable variety of the School’s musical output, giving valuable exposure our young musicians. Most importantly, these concerts are in an attempt to raise funds for “The Rose Bowl” which has been the venue of many a musical performance by the School’s choir and orchestra over the decades.
The ‘Rose Bowl’
Aptly described as “the teeming womb of many a significant activity”, the bowl shaped amphitheatre has been the hub of activities of the Doon School. Built by the boys themselves between January 1939 and late 1940, its origin lay in the discovery of a curved stone wall in the ‘Khud’ below the open air Gymnasium (which now does not exist) which had been built at some point in the past to prevent erosion. The ‘Khud’ was then covered by plantains and other trees which were cut down by the boys after which the bank was cleared. Then the work of cutting the steps began. Between January and March 1939 John Martyn had been the foreman of operations. Subsequently, gangs of boys worked in rotation during morning P.T. under Mr. Kidd’s charge and by the end of term rows of seats with brick ‘rises’ and concrete ‘treads’ had been completed. A lot had yet to be done and though usable by late 1939 but work went on into 1940.
Many a school boy, parent or friend of the school has sat under the laburnum tree at one end and the aged ‘seesham’ tree at the other. In early May, the tiers of seats shaped like the petals of a rose are carpeted with the golden bloom of the laburnum and in the autumn covered with leaves pale and red. The cluster of bamboo trees which fringe the Rose Bowl forms delicate patterns at the gathering of dusk and later when silhouetted against a star-lit sky. Many have sat on those concrete treads and watched plays from Shakespeare to Tagore.
As in ancient Greece, the Rose Bowl has not only been used for performance of plays and music but also for exhibiting man’s physical prowess. The Rose Bowl has been used every winter for boxing competitions.
Many great men and statesmen have addressed the boys, parents and other guests from the Rose Bowl. From Lord Louis Mountbatten in February 1948 to Mr. Amitabh Bachhan in October 2001. However, since hordes of parents and guests had to sit outside the Rose Bowl and watch the chief guest on a screen and hear him over speakers (because the Rose Bowl could not accommodate all who had come to see the great Mr. Bachhan himself) that subsequent chief guests – His Excellency, the President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (2002), Mr. Nasiruddin Shah (2003) and Dr. Karan Singh, ex-259K ’46 (2004) had to address the gathering of boys, parents and guests at the main field.
This beloved womb of the Doon School is now 65 years old. It’s capacity requires to be increased. It requires to be modernized to meet the demands of modern theatre productions and musical performances even in an open air theatre. Hence, this fundraiser for the renovation of the Rose Bowl which has witnessed many great men and produced great actors, public speakers and above all – great Indians.
We take this opportunity to seek your help and participation in facilitating this performance. Your association would be instrumental in helping us raise funds for the reconstruction and renovation of the Rose Bowl.
With your advertisement contribution in our Musical Program’s Brochure, you will be entitled to various promotional benefits as outlined below:
- Circulation of the Program Brochure to all 400 attendees which would include invitees representing the top strata of the business and financial community, senior executives, leading artists and dignitaries from India.
- Circulation of the Program Brochure to the entire Doon School fraternity. The Doon School Alumni association has a 5,000 strong membership, with roughly 1,500 old Boys spread out all over the world, 1,500 in the NCR region and the remainder in different parts of India.
- Coverage of the event with special thanks to the sponsors in the ‘Rose Bowl’ (Old Boys Quarterly Magazine), circulated to all 5,000 alumni in hard print and on the Doon School Old Boys’ Society website www.dsobs.org.
- Allocation of 2 seats for the performances in New Delhi.
Your advertising support to the Program Brochure of this forthcoming event would have a tremendous impact and garner adequate mileage for your company.
Details of the advertising spaces are attached along with costs.
We look forward to your support.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Anoop Bishnoi
112-J ‘75
President
For and on behalf of the Executive Committee of the Doon School Old Boys Society
Souvenir Advertisement Tariff
Advertisements
Back Page Cover
Outside
Rs. 100,000/-
Full Page (Color)
Inside
Rs. 50,000/-
Half Page (Color)
Inside
Rs. 25,000/-
(Please send art pool/positives along with cheque/DD in favor of the “Doon School Old Boys Society”)