Denise Chinpire-O’Riley plans to continue her father’s legacy of supporting Indian classical singing as part of T&T’s culture. On Saturday, May 27, Chinpire-O’Riley hosted the fourth instalment of Classical Cruise. It attracted scores of patrons to listen to performers including Jameer Hosein, Dubraj Persad, Lilly Ramcharan Moon and Rakesh Yankaran.
Chinpire-O’Riley picked up the cause after her father, Kunzru Sammy “KS” Chinpire, died in 2013. The elder Chinpire had played a pivotal role in the resurgence of Indian classical music in T&T. The artform was popular in the 1960s and 70s, but interest declined when chutney music rose. So KS Chinpire began hosting competitions dating from 2011 up until his death in 2013, sometimes doing two shows per year. After that period, Denise Chinpire-O’Reilly and her sister Diane Chinpire continued promoting Indian classical singing.