Arts professional Anthony Gomes received his Honorary Fellowship this April in Mumbai.
Anthony Gomes is the Director of Furtados, India’s leading retailer for musical instruments, printed sheet music, music books, and music accessories. Established in 1865, Furtados has over 20 physical stores across the country. Anthony is also the Regional Coordinator for Western India for Trinity College London (TCL). The Mumbai Centre of TCL is the single largest centre in the world outside of the UK for TCL examinations in the Performing Arts. Anthony was formerly a member of the Bombay Chamber Orchestra and has been involved in multiple initiatives to promote classical music. These include setting up and leading the Con Brio competition, acting as a board member of the Western Music Educator’s Association, and advising the Brillante Piano Festival, among others.
Anthony Gomes was awarded his Honorary Fellowship by Anthony Bowne, Principal of Trinity Laban, during a short ceremony in Mumbai at his family home.
When Trinity Laban first started running masterclasses in India in 2013, Anthony and Furtados played a key role in supporting the conservatoire. Now branded the Trinity Laban International Academies programme, our work in India has grown considerably since, and could not exist without Anthony’s unswerving support. This support includes not just financial management, strategic advice, and the nurturing of relevant contacts, but also extends to asking Furtados staff to co-design marketing strategies and materials, and to permitting us to use Furtados’ showrooms for our auditions. Anthony’s support has enabled us to grow the programme significantly and it now forms a central plank of the conservatoire’s public engagement programme. This year, we have seven staff teaching on the programme, working across six major cities in India, and for the first time, Colombo in Sri Lanka. We are giving twenty one days of masterclasses, six staff recitals, six teacher development events, and three days of audition mentoring. We are also offering ongoing free mentoring from our staff to four young Indian musicians that we have identified as being outstanding stars of the future.
Upon the appointment of Anthony’s Honorary Fellowship, Principal Anthony Bowne comments: “Anthony is a force of nature in promoting and supporting western art music in India, and has been a faithful friend and supporter of Trinity Laban. He is such a deserving recipient and it is a privilege to bestow this Honorary Fellowship upon him.”