Music has been more than a profession for Coomi Wadia. At 94, Wadia’s pursuit of excellence has taken Western classical music rooted in Indian traditions to audiences across the world. The Padma Shri awardee and India’s first female choral conductor will be honoured by the Paranjoti Academy Chorus (PAC) at a grand concert, Celebrating a Legacy: in honour of Coomi Wadia, at the NCPA on October 21.

Wadia recently completed 55 years of conducting the same choir, a milestone that PAC felt deserved a celebration. “We decided that now was the right time to celebrate not only the milestone but her whole conducting career of over half a century,” a member of the committee says. The concert will bring together the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) and old friends from guest choirs in Chennai and Colombo, performing some of Wadia’s favourite music.