Ria Master, 26, was among eight emerging choral managers, and reportedly the first from India, to be selected to participate in the third YOUNG 2025 program organized by the International Federation of Choral Music (IFCM) in Berlin from July 14 to 21, 2025. Coordinated by the IFCM with the European Choral Association, co-funded by the European Union Creative Europe program, it was part of the 45th International Congress of Pueri Cantores.
Ria Master (r) with Sonja Greiner
The workshops ranged from the art of yodeling to Congo rhythms. Master said it gave her "a chance to understand everything that goes into organizing such a huge international choral event.”
"I applied, and based on my curriculum vitae, my work in education, my background in music and early childhood education, I was selected,” said Master about the rigorous four-month selection process which began in October 2024. IFCM received 67 applications from 27 countries, according to its website ifcm.net. Successful candidates were notified in April this year. While her stay and meals were covered by the organizers, "I had to pay for my flight and visa.”
Her mother had enrolled Master at the Mehli Mehta Music Foundation which provides structured Western classical music training for Indian children. "I joined when I was really young, about two-and-a-half, and stayed until I was 16,” she recalled. After a break to focus on academics, she reconnected with the institute and "taught there for about seven years,” an experience that cemented her passion for early childhood education. "Zero to six are the most important years of a child’s life. Everything you want to expose them to should happen in this period,” Master said. Music, which is often treated as an extracurricular activity in India, can shape problem-solving skills, perseverance and social development… You don’t need fancy equipment… just opportunities to give them skills,” believes Master who conducts a Parent-Child Music Program for infants to three-year-olds and the Big Kids Music Program for those aged three to six. Her social media account Sparkle Sound — an Instagram platform dedicated to children’s music education — feature videos of her singing different songs for children in kindergarten. Instagram statistics show that one of her videos has crossed one million views.
Master is also active in India’s choral music scene. She performs with the Paranjoti Academy Chorus, the Living Voices, led by Blossom Mendonca and also freelances with other ensembles.
"It’s always been an aspiration to dive into music therapy,” she said. "Unfortunately, no such course exists in India. I’d have to train abroad. But it ties everything together: my arts-based therapy, music education, and social-emotional learning practice.” Her experience in Munich, she believes, has only reaffirmed that direction. "It showed me that music can nurture children well beyond performance — it builds community and emotional awareness,” she noted.
Ariyanne Panthaki