She may be the granddaughter of perhaps the greatest cricketer to have ever played — Sir Donald Bradman. But for operatic singer Greta Bradman, who is currently in the country to deliver a performance with Maestro Zubin Mehta, the ‘Don’ was and always will be the ‘music-loving grandpa’ who influenced her love for music.
Greta, who left her PhD in Psychology to pursue her love for music has so far performed at close to 1,000 shows. A soprano who’s earned international acclaim, Greta, on her first visit to India, spoke to us about her early influences, her family and her legendary grandfather.
“My father’s side were the music lovers and my mother’s side were the performers,” says Greta, revealing that there was a lot more music than cricket in her growing up years. Telling us about how her love for music started, Greta says, “I spent a lot of time with my grandparents and especially both my grandfathers, who had this huge collection of amazing LPs and records. They loved music, but I think I was always the performer because I remember singing along with the records. But that love for music is where my earliest influences come from.”
However, while music was an important part of her life, Greta confesses she did not think about making it her career. “I was always interested in the sciences, and earlier music was only an important part of my life. I don’t think I saw it as a career. However, during my PhD in Psychology, I landed this scholarship in Wales and decided to set aside my science career to pursue my passion, which was music. That’s where it all started professionally. Till then I was living almost dual lives, which obviously took a toll on me. But the scholarship was a very fortunate opportunity since it gave me a chance to go to Europe, which is the epicenter of Western classical music and also to work with Dennis O’Neill,” she shared.
After performing with popular names such as O’Niell and Richard Bonynge, Greta feels that performing for Zubin Mehta (the concert was staged in Mumbai over October 25-26) is her biggest opportunity yet. About how the performance came about, she tells us, “This performance is, in a way, a tribute to all the legends who influenced my passion for music such as Joan Sutherland or Maria Callas. But another one of my greatest influences was maestro Mehta. So to perform for him and that too in his home country is something very special to me,” she says.
Starting her professional career in 2010, Greta says that her international experience is what has led her to discover her true voice. “Moving from Adelaide to Melbourne was my first big move. But back home, everyone used to get confused about my voice because although I can pull off a soprano, my voice also hovers around a mezzo. But when I moved to Wales, people there really accepted this mixture in my voice and I think that is what gives it a unique feel.”
Revealing more about her grandfather, Greta says, “I think if there is something that I can say about him, it is that he lived his life the same way he played the game. Cricket was a big part of our family and I personally loved all the values that the game espoused. And my grandfather was one man who lived by those values. He was such a gentleman throughout his life.”
Sharing some anecdotes about her early life, Greta says, “I still remember, when I was in high school, I used to walk home and stop by my grandparents house everyday. But around that time, I fell very ill and missed a lot of school. I lived with them then and they took care of me. We all used to play from his collection with him on the piano while my grandmother used to whistle along as I sang. There was a lot of music, great food and a good dose of laughter, those were my warmest memories of him.”
Speaking about her experience and expectations from India, Greta says that there is a lot that she wants to do here. “I would definitely love to keep performing here. There is a huge weight of expectation here and that is challenge, but as for the country, the best thing I love about it so far are the people and food,” says Greta, as she raves about the masala dosa she had for breakfast!
But that is not the end of her love for India, as she reveals, “One of the most engaging things about India is its classical music. I have always been a collaborator and would love to do something that involves Indian classical music. It is so well structured and disciplined and I would love to catch more of it here. As for the other things to do, there is a huge list. I am trying to cram everything into the time I have. And of course, watching a match would definitely be one of them!”
