She picked up the violin as a five-year-old for the first time, when her sister had begun tutorials. Before she knew it, Aisha Syed, fell in love with JS Bach's compositions, followed by Paganini. By 11, Syed had made her debut with the Dominican Symphony Orchestra back home at Dominican Republic, and soon attended Menuhin School and Royal College of Music. She has since performed at the Carnegie Hall and Palau de les Arts in Spain, among other prestigious venues.

This weekend, Syed will make her Mumbai debut [she performed in New Delhi in 2007], in a collaboration with Mehli Mehta Foundation's choirs and string ensemble. "I'm excited about performing with this string ensemble," she tells us about the programme that will include pieces by Vivaldi and Frolov. She will also be performing JS Bach's Chacconne and Paganini's La Campanella.