Chennai stays pitch-perfect

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While they bravely adapted to the digital world, singers and audiences returned to live concerts with open relief

After two years of Covid-induced interruption when the Chennai music season briefly returned to live concerts at the end of 2021, what was on display was striking resilience and the city’s age-old commitment to its favourite art — from musicians, the sabhas, and the music lovers. It saw them all seamlessly moving between the virtual and real worlds in what could be called Chennai’s first hybrid season.

The most remarkable feature was certainly the resilience, and its demonstration came primarily from the musicians, the life-force behind the decades-long tradition. Since March-April 2020, they had been denied their career, livelihood, and the critical connect that they enjoy with their followers. Musicians, more so classical musicians, are unanimous in their opinion that performing on stage is what keeps them going. Under normal circumstances, denying that opportunity for such a long period should make them uncertain and downcast, but Chennai’s Carnatic singers kept singing and exploring, not caring if they had a stage to perform or not.

When they finally came back to the big stage, all of them were raring to go. Some had improved on their voice range, some on their techniques, some on the aesthetics and expressions, some on their repertoire and most of them on all these factors. Their risk appetite too seemed to have gone up. Clearly, the diligence and integrity that Carnatic music demands from its practitioners had influenced them in other ways too.

The break “gave me time to introspect, learn, revise, listen and practice,” says Amrita Murali, who was quite busy both with live and digital concerts while Ramakrishnan Murthy found the extra practice and listening time “amazing”. “Practising and listening just for the sake of musical enrichment, rather than goal-oriented learning; I really cherished all that time.”

Naturally, the commitment with which the musicians persevered with their art was unmissable on stage. Although many major sabhas organised live concerts, both ticketed and free, the attendance was much thinner probably because of Covid fears among senior citizens, the absence of outstation music lovers, and the flash floods in some parts of the city.

However, the sight of sparsely occupied halls as the curtains went up didn’t seem to faze the musicians or make them perform below par or for shorter durations. If anything, some looked more spirited. “In as much as it is always fantastic and gratifying to sing to a full house, I have always respected the audience I have had. The number doesn’t pull down my spirits or the quality that I would like to maintain,” says Amrita. According to the Akkarai Sisters, the advice of their father-guru Akkarai S. Swamynathan — ”Do your work with devotion and dedication without worrying about results” — kept them focussed.

An auditorium with limited rasikas enjoying a concert. | Photo Credit: Photo: Ragu R/The Hindu Archives

Although a lot of sabha-hopping older regulars were missing, it was compensated to a small extent by other, younger age groups. Bharath Sundar said he noticed several young people in the audience, a very encouraging sign. Amrita did “miss seeing certain die-hard elder rasikas,” but also found it gladdening to see more young people. S. Saketharaman also noticed this change. “I saw quite a few first-timers including youngsters who attended the last few live concerts.”

All musicians were, expectedly, unsettled by the prolonged clamp-down on performances and, more importantly, on earnings, but appear to have quickly gathered the strength to move on. “Professionally, it was indeed a setback. It’s our bread and butter. But when you think about it, it was like a sabbatical. Now when I sing at a concert, the way I look at it itself is very different,” says Bharath Sundar. “For any performing artiste, it has not been very easy to come to terms with the very unlikely situation of these last two years,” say the Akkarai Sisters. As S. Saketharaman says, “The live experience is in our DNA.”

Improved on aesthetics

If necessity compelled the city’s music ecosystem to go digital last season, this year they considerably improved on production values and aesthetics. One drawback, however, was that regular concert goers, who were originally gung-ho about digital concerts, appeared a little fatigued by the excessive supply — there was too much content, both free and paid, over the last two years. For the musician, however, it didn’t matter if they were doing a digital or live concert. “Once the music starts, it’s only about the music. Not to say that I didn’t miss live concerts; I undoubtedly did, but the focus changes after those few initial moments,” says Ramakrishnan Murthy.

Despite concerns about digital fatigue, Mahesh Venkateswaran of MadRasana, a pioneer in innovative presentation of Carnatic music, believes digital is here to stay. “If you present the digital format as a replacement to the stage, then you are not really leveraging it to the fullest. But if you present it in a way that cannot be replicated in live stage shows, then you have something special to show to the audience that is different.”

Saketharaman agrees. “Digital content has to be curated carefully, presented using state-of-the-art technology and marketed appropriately,” he says.

If digital was the innovation last time, this year it was the wider use of online ticketing, which pushed the sabha ecosystem forward. Although city entrepreneurs have wanted to collaborate with the sabhas to sell tickets over the years, there has been resistance in the past. This time, the foyer of most halls welcomed people with bar-codes.

Despite everything, digital remains an afterthought. As the next wave of the pandemic tightens its grip, Chennai’s musicians hope live concerts will continue. Sandeep Narayan summarises it succinctly: “It was exhilarating to return to the concert stage and see live faces. In the end, it’s the live concert experience that gives me what I’m looking for.”

The writer is a journalist-turned-UN official-turned-columnist based in Travancore.

Pitch Perfect 4: Will We Ever See Season 4? Check Here!

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The deadline for submitting a proposal has passed, but there is still time! There are certain exceptions to it. Not with the tagline of the third Pitch Perfect movie, but with the surprise huge hit of the first ‘Pitch Perfect,’ Hollywood’s own PG-13 musical comedy series began in 2012.

In light of the film’s enormous cult following, a trilogy appeared the most logical course of action. The second and third additions were hardly visible while crucial scores decreased and collections were revised higher.

The Barden Bellas regrouped for an overseas USO tour following their graduation in the third ‘Pitch Perfect’ film, which was anticipated to be a farewell for the a cappella group after they won the global championship in the second.

As seen by the evolution from a university tournament to a worldwide championship and eventually to a world tour, each follow-up has been greater and better (mostly).

Even if a fourth film is made, it will need the reunion of the original ensemble, which would be an enormous endeavor to pull off without coming across as forced.

According to information from the western front, there is likely to be a follow-up. Is there a new round of pitches in the works? Continue reading to find out everything there is to know.

Read More: Moana 2: Is Release Date Confirmed or Cancelled? Check here!

Pitch Perfect 4 Release Date

The broader audience has yet to see Pitch Perfect 4 for what it is. The release date for the fourth film in the series has not yet been announced. A fourth feature has been explored, but no official announcement has been made by the studio.

Another Instagram post from “Pitch Perfect 4” cast members Rebel Wilson and Brittany Snow, as well as Anna Camp and Chrissie Fit, shows the actresses all holding up four fingers.

For future productions, the global pandemic has become a big concern if the show is now in development. If so, it’s possible that the creators have already begun work on the project and are just polishing it up.

We can’t comment on the film’s release date because no official announcements have been made. Assuming the best, I predict the picture will be released between the years of 2022 and the year of 2023.

Pitch Perfect 4 Cast

Aubrey Posen will be played by Anna Camp.

Beca Mitchell is played by Anna Kendrick.

Stacie Conrad Kelley is Alexis Knapp. Jessica will be played by Alice Jakle.

Chloe Beale is Brittany Snow.

A person of Shelley Regner Ashley

Cynthia Rose Adams is going to be played by Ester Dean in the upcoming film.

Fat Amy will be played by Rebel Wilson.

Lilly Onakuramara was Hana Mae Lee.

Read More: Love Victor Season 3: Possible Release Date, Cast, Trailer, And Plot

Pitch Perfect 4 Plotline

We’re first discussing the possibility of a sequel because of Rebel Wilson’s Instagram hinting. The women who gathered to celebrate Anna Camp’s birthday put up four fingers in the photograph. Only a signature from an inside organization can make us believe what we wish to believe.

In the past, journalists relied on basic forecasts and arrows in the dark, as opposed to today’s social media postings, as sources of journalistic supposition. It’s been a blast every time, regardless of the outcome.

It’s still a Catch-22, despite the overwhelming social media confirmation, that a sequel will happen. The third film in the series, released in 2017, had an eerie resemblance in audience reactions: it was also the franchise’s worst-received film by a large margin.

A modest $183 million in worldwide ticket sales was an increase above the previous film’s disappointing $80 million.

If it weren’t for the devotion the franchise has acquired and how much more the cast wants it, Universal Studios would have every motive to push this one commercially.

“Of course, that’s above my pay grade, and I have no clue and am not the one making the choices, but as far as I am concerned, I would watch these films on and on and on until they start sucking,” director Trish Sie said of the potential of a fourth picture.

In my opinion, there will always be a plethora of options for a woman’s and a girl’s life storey, no matter what stage of life they enter.

Actress Rebel Wilson gave some insight into her and her co-stars’ tight-knit group: “We are all really busy ladies so we like to catch together and have reunions.

We’d be thrilled to see a follow-up.” Even though we come from different backgrounds, we all have a lot in common. We’ll see whether a fourth film is feasible.

The Bellas are one of several properties that Universal may be running out on, which gives me cause to be hopeful about a fourth. There may be cameo parts for the Bellas in the future as mentors to a new generation of Bellas, passing on the torch to a new cast while maintaining continuity with prior films.

It would allow the series to go on forever. Universal is going to despise Wilson for saying this, Wilson stated. The Bellas are a close-knit group of friends. We are eager to work together.

Amazingly gifted young ladies. There have been some rumblings concerning the franchise’s future, and we’ve heard that it looks promising.

Pitch Perfect 4 Trailer

Despite the show’s success, it was not renewed for a fourth season. A fourth Pitch Perfect film has been announced by the film’s cast, who have already provided the public with ample lead-in information. Until then, you may check out previous sequel trailers to get a sneak peek.

Read More: Descendants 4 Release Date: Possible Renewal & Cancellation of This Web Series By Disney!

Rebel Wilson Set to Host BAFTA Awards

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Rebel Wilson will host the BAFTA Awards in March.

The “Pitch Perfect” actor stole the show at the ceremony in 2020 with a gag-filled speech while presenting the award for best director during which she managed to mention Prince Harry, Prince Andrew, coronavirus (then still but a conceptual threat), the lack of swag bags, “Cats” (in which she starred) and the lack of women nominated for best director.

Last year’s awards took place semi-virtually and were hosted by British presenters Edith Bowman and Dermot O’Leary.

“I look at the exceptional, daring talent nominated in this category and I don’t think I could do what they do,” Wilson said of the all-male nominees. “Honestly, I just don’t have the balls.”

Given everything that has happened since February 2020 – including Prince Andrew effectively being fired as a royal and of course the global pandemic – she will no doubt have plenty of material for the event, which Prince William usually attends in his role as president.

“I am very honoured to be hosting the EE British Academy Film Awards in March, where Covid will no longer exist because it will clearly have been canceled by then,” said Wilson. “It’s going to be so much fun! I don’t wanna put any pressure on this – I know I’m not going to be funny because I am no longer fat. And besides, I’m not going to ‘sweat-it’ with nerves because I have a peculiar medical condition where I can’t sweat…or cause offense to people because of my adorable Australian accent.”

“So basically I’ll just be there to hang out with Dame Judi Dench and together we’ll both try and bond with Daniel Craig. And yes, I do mean ‘bond’. This show will be an anniversary celebration of some important British film franchises such as ‘Harry Potter’ and not such as ‘Cats.’ Everybody’s going to love it, I’m sure! See you guys in March!”

Amanda Berry, chief executive of BAFTA added: “We are delighted to welcome Rebel Wilson as this year’s host of the EE British Academy Film Awards. Rebel has stolen the show at several previous Film Awards, and we’re hugely excited to see her bring her fantastic charisma and humour to the whole show as we celebrate the very best in film.”

“We would also like to thank Edith Bowman and Dermot O’Leary who did a truly wonderful job hosting last year’s ceremony in exceptionally challenging circumstances and we look forward to working with them again in the future.”

BAFTA’s longlists of films competing in the awards was released on Wednesday, with “No Time to Die,” “West Side Story” and “Don’t Look Up” among those that will potentially be honored at the ceremony.

Nominations will be revealed on Feb. 3 and the in-person ceremony will take place on Sunday March 13 at the Royal Albert Hall. It will be broadcast on BBC One, BBC One HD and BBC iPlayer.

On Thursday it was announced that the Critics Choice Awards would be moving to the same day, pushed backwards from their original January date due to the surge in COVID-19.

Rebel Wilson says walking every day helped her lose 77 pounds

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Investor insights: Blake Wu of NEA

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Investors and healthcare startups are center stage at the annual INVEST conference in Chicago March 28-30, 2022. In the runup to the conference, we’re doing a series of interviews with investors on their approach to startups across the four tracks of the pitch contest, INVEST Pitch Perfect: pharma tech; diagnostics; care coordination and value-based care; and remote patient monitoring and smart devices.

The finalists for each of the tracks will be reviewed by judges who will also ask questions about the startup’s business. The prize for the winner of each track is a profile in MedCity News.

The deadline for Pitch Perfect submissions is January 31. To apply, click here.

To review the agenda, click here. You can register for the conference here.

Blake Wu, a partner with venture capital firm NEA, is a judge for the PharmaTech track of the Pitch Perfect contest. At NEA, he focuses on investments in healthcare services, health IT, and biopharmaceuticals. He discussed how NEA’s investment strategy has been informed by the Covid-19 public health crisis and highlighted some investment trends, in response to emailed questions.

What companies/technologies have impressed you in recent years and why?

The past two years have been all about Covid-19 and its ramifications for our healthcare system operating in the midst of a pandemic. While we are not necessarily out of the woods yet, we at NEA have been heavily focused on the post-pandemic environment and what lasting / structural changes to our system will result from our learnings over the past couple of years.

For example, we have been closely observing the speed at which the pharma-tech industry has innovated, largely a result of the fact that trials are growing increasingly more complex and decentralized — trends that have accelerated meaningfully during the pandemic. As we conducted a deep dive within our own portfolio and across a handful of key opinion leaders, we consistently heard from stakeholders that clin-ops (clinical operations) was a major pain point, particularly on the supply chain side. That is why we were so excited to lead Slope.io’s Series A late last year. In our industry deep dive, we were constantly confronted with issues that were unique to a certain stakeholder (e.g., clinical sites struggling with inventory management, sponsors and labs struggling with chain of custody questions, etc.). Slope is addressing this by building a diversified software platform that helps scale and automate complex pharma supply chains in the context of a clinical study. The technology itself is highly impressive and ultimately the mission behind the company—the acceleration of clinical research in an increasingly complex logistical environment, which is critical to our industry and our healthcare system overall.

Additionally, over the course of the pandemic, we have seen an acceleration in the unbundling of healthcare. Digital health, specifically, is unbundling into indication and therapeutic area specific categories, and companies are becoming increasingly specialized in how they define their respective patient populations and market opportunities. As our system migrates to a fee-for-value construct, this unbundling of care outside the four walls of the hospital allows for increased incentive alignment across patients, providers, and payers. We have invested heavily in this trend of specialty verticals migrating out of the hospital walls, be it Radiology Partners in radiology, Vori Health in musculoskeletal, Spiras Health in pulmonary and cardiology, or Strive Health in kidney care. Each of these specialties account for hundreds of billions of dollars in spend, demonstrating the sheer size of the market opportunity.

What are some emerging trends you are seeing in the way VCs invest, the amounts they allocate?

From a healthcare perspective, there’s certainly never been more interest in the category. Venture fundraising in healthcare more than doubled 2020’s figures, and 2020 itself was already a record year. We’ve seen an unprecedented amount of interest across late-stage, private digital health companies, many of which are focused on next-generation care delivery models or have some component of risk-bearing or risk-sharing embedded in their models. In terms of how VCs invest, there were a huge number of larger growth rounds in 2021, more than we’ve ever seen, and there have been numerous new entrants into the healthcare VC and growth markets over the past few years. Interestingly, we’ve seen a continued bifurcation between the late-stage private and public markets as they pertain to digital health companies, many of which have struggled to maintain investor enthusiasm once they’ve gone public. At NEA, we are long-term, fundamentally-driven investors. Given our size, we can and do support our companies through any near-term market volatility (be it private or public). I think VCs with a similar, long-term mindset will succeed in this dynamic market environment.

What regulatory or legislative changes do you see having the biggest impact on companies in one or more of these sectors?

One of the most significant pieces of legislation we see impacting our portfolio is the 21st Century Cures Act. Since its implementation, we’ve seen a real push by the agency and other stakeholders across pharma to accelerate the development of life-saving therapeutics and bring new innovation to populations with significant unmet medical needs. Real world evidence is a wonderful example of that—according to our calculations, over three-quarters of all regulatory submissions in 2020 included real world evidence studies in their submission package. That’s an unprecedented number and one that we expect to grow markedly over the next decade. We’ve been extremely fortunate to witness this growth first-hand at one of our portfolio companies, Aetion, and the industry is well positioned to continue its momentum in a post-pandemic world.

Photo: phive2015, Getty Images