Mumbai: India’s only opera diva, Celia Lobo She breathed her last peacefully at home after a long illness. Her family, including her son and famous choreographer Ashley Lobo, were with her. She was 87 years old.
Born in 1937, Celia Baptista was raised in a musical family steeped in operatic traditions. In the 1960s, she joined the Bombay Madrigal Singers Organisation (BMSO), which staged operas in Mumbai. After the BMSO closed, Celia continued to pursue her passion for opera through writing, directing and vocal training. Her notable students include Sunidhi Chauhan, Shiamak Davar, Shweta Shetty, Sunita Rao, Shailesh Shandilya and Neeti Mohan.
Celia Lobo has three children – Daughter Deirdre Lobo, A vocal coach and Founder/Artistic Director of the Celia Lobo Academy of Voice (CLAV) and Ovima Global, Daughter Carolyn Vincent, A philanthropist and community builder living in Australia and Son, Ashley Lobo, Renowned dancer and choreographer, Founder and Artistic Director of The Danceworks (TDX) and Navdhara India Dance Theatre (NIDT).
Celia Lobo’s legacy as a pioneer in Indian opera and a guide to many will be fondly remembered.
