Natasha Agarwal is a British-Indian soprano, born in Liverpool and currently based in London. Having studied at the Royal Academy of Music and University of Warwick, she is currently pursuing a career as a freelance artist in opera, concert and theatre. She holds an LRAM singing teaching diploma and enjoys teaching privately alongside her performance work. She is also a trained dancer in the styles of ballet, tap, contemporary, jazz and Bharatanatyam (a form of classical Indian dance).

I was thrilled and honoured to be asked to share my musical journey as part of the Third Culture Collective’s ongoing series of Profiles & Perspectives. In performing and engaging with this wonderful community, I have connected with fellow musicians from South Asian backgrounds and been inspired by their talent, creativity and versatility. I hope my story may encourage more Third Culture Kids to follow their passion for the Arts and embrace their mixed cultural heritage.

I am the daughter of two doctors, who grew up and trained in Mumbai before settling in the UK. Although my parents had no knowledge of western classical music, their musical tastes were eclectic and I grew up listening to everything from jazz to Bollywood. My love for performance began at the age of three when my parents sent me to ballet classes. Even at such a young age, I remember being fascinated by the music - it soon became clear that music would be an important vehicle of self-expression and communication in my life.

A couple of years later, I started taking singing lessons with a local teacher, who introduced me to classical art songs and folk songs, and thus my love for classical music continued to grow. I sang in the school choirs, took up piano lessons and occasionally even played percussion in the school orchestra! I regularly performed in dance and music festivals and quickly began to feel ‘at home’ on stage. There is no doubt that this early exposure and support from my parents and teachers played a crucial role in allowing me to discover my passion for the Arts. 

My first meaningful connection to Indian culture was through dance. I began to enter dance competitions, in which the ‘National’ category allowed us to present a traditional dance form from a country of our choice. Naturally it seemed fitting for me to perform something Indian, so I started taking lessons in Bharatanatyam - a form of classical dance originating in South India. One of my most poignant memories is a little phrase my mum used to say to me before all of my Bharatanatyam performances - “Be proud to be Indian”. It became our good luck motto and, looking back, it was extremely powerful to have that affirmation from a young age in a society where I looked different to those around me. 

I went on to win multiple All England gold medals with my Bharatanatyam dances, but more importantly I learnt to celebrate the things that made me different and to be proud of my rich cultural heritage, my upbringing and my strong work ethic. That is not to say that I didn’t struggle with my identity growing up; I sometimes found it difficult to fit in and I think one of the reasons I fell in love with performing is that it allowed me to be whoever I wanted to be. At the same time, I always valued my Indian background and continue to do so today. I am so grateful to my mum for instilling that pride in me.

Despite my relatively western upbringing with much of my childhood spent in artistic activities, there was still an expectation from my family and peers to follow a more academic career path and to do a ‘proper degree’. Luckily my parents didn’t pressure me into following in their medical footsteps, but I did enjoy the sciences and decided to study Maths at the University of Warwick. At university, I was a choral scholar and spent all my spare time singing in choirs and performing in operas, concerts and dance shows. (I probably should have spent a little more time doing maths…!) An annual highlight was the Warwick Fused concert involving a range of world music ensembles. This amazing celebration of multiculturalism made me realise just how powerful music is in breaking down boundaries and bringing people together.

During my time at Warwick, it became clear to me that I wanted music to be more than just a hobby. I decided to take my training to a professional level and was offered a place at the Royal Academy of Music, where I did a Master’s in Vocal Performance. Although I was slightly apprehensive about making this transition, it felt like the right path for me and I soon discovered that everyone had their own unique journey into the professional world of classical music.  

In my singing work, I have had the opportunity to connect with my Indian heritage in very interesting and beautiful ways. These experiences have been extremely rewarding as I’ve been able to collaborate with fellow Indian artists, share classical music with a wider audience and bring together the two cultures that have shaped me as an individual. I sang in Ravi Shankar’s fusion opera Sukanya with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall and performed a principal role in the first fully-staged opera at the Royal Opera House Mumbai, thanks to Indian-born soprano Patricia Rozario who heard me here in the UK.

During the pandemic, I presented a live-streamed recital of western classical songs and poetry based on the story of Ram and Sita (the Diwali story) for an Indian organisation Arts Come Online. I also had the pleasure of being involved in a choral Collaboration Day with the Third Culture Collective, during which we recorded fantastic Bollywood / Sanskrit / Baroque fusion choral arrangements.

In November 2020 I was invited by Welsh National Opera to film a music video of ‘The Pledge’ by Indian writer Shreya Sen-Handley, set to music by Welsh composer Eädyth. This was part of WNO’s Creating Change series which aimed to highlight social inequality and empower artists to use their art to make a difference. The piece was inspired by the Hindu goddess Durga and is a call to arms to humanity to look to our ‘inner goddess’ and bring about positive change. It was an honour to be able to deliver this message through music and Bharatanatyam dance.

I am immensely grateful for my fantastic music education and the strong support network that has surrounded me throughout my life. I hope that through the Third Culture Collective I can play a part in supporting fellow South Asian musicians, and that we continue to share our experiences and take pride in our heritage. I believe that we all have something unique to bring to the world of classical music and that we need to celebrate our differences in order to form the richest and most beautiful collaborations.

Natasha Agarwal features in the choir of the Third Culture Collective in our fusion arrangement of Chaiyya Chaiyya:

You can keep up to date with Natasha’s career at natashaagarwal.co.uk