The Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI), based at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, is India’s first and only professional orchestra. It was founded in 2006 by NCPA Chairman Khushroo N. Suntook and internationally-renowned violin virtuoso Marat Bisengaliev, who serves as the Orchestra’s Music Director. Zane Dalal serves as Associate Music Director. The SOI has worked with renowned conductors including Charles Dutoit, Augustin Dumay, Yuri Simonov, Lior Shambadal, Rafael Payare, Mischa Damev, Alexander Anissimov, and Christoph Poppen, and more. Soloists appearing with the SOI have included Maria João Pires, Augustin Dumay, Simon O’Neill, Cédric Tiberghien, Alina Ibragimova, Barry Douglas, Angel Blue, Zakir Hussain, Edgar Meyer, Béla Fleck, Tamás Vásáry, and Lena Neudauer, amongst others. In the decade since its inception, the Orchestra has performed around India and internationally in Switzerland, Russia, Oman, and the UAE. Apart from the mainstays of the symphonic repertoire, the NCPA and SOI have also presented large-scale productions, including fully-staged operas—with productions of Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Cavalleria rusticana/Pagliacci. www.soimumbai.com