Coomi Wadia: It was more of a challenge for me as a singer to be accepted as con

But then the chorus from Bombay is worthy of all superlatives Starting with perfection of all voices opulence of nuances startling clarity of performance of all compositions Everything here is absolutely perfect unforgettable and no doubt represents the highest standard in the musical world said a Polish arts magazine about the music of Paranjoti Academy Chorus at the IX International Choral Competition organised by the Polish Television and Radio in the early 70sThe choir has about 60 members in the age group of 18 to 80Over the course of 50 years the Mumbaibased choir has left a similar impact wherever it has presented its music mdash most of Europe including a performance at St Peters Basilica Vatican City in the presence of Pope Paul VI Japan the Philippine USA and upon invitations from Pandit Ravi Shankar the Dalai Lama and the former President Pratibha Patil Formed from Dr Victor Paranjotis Bombay Amateur Light Opera Sabha group in 1960 the chorus came to be conducted by Coomi Wadia after the passing for Dr Paranjoti in 1967 She has helmed it sinceCoomi WadiaUnder her baton the choir which usually performs a cappella has expanded its repertoire to 22 languages ranging from 16thcentury music to works by contemporary composers spirituals and folk songs Sometimes none of us know the language but its amazing how she gets us to sing in it authentically She is very particular about our pronunciations and intonations says Fiona Dias Miranda an educator and member of the choir since 2005 She is a taskmaster during rehearsals because she is a perfectionist She expects high standards But once the rehearsals are done she is a lot of fun and shares stories of when she was a young singer or how she met her husbandCoomi Wadia at her first concert as conductor on May 24 1967 at Patkar Hall New Marine LinesAhead of an upcoming performance by the choir with the Symphony Orchestra of India mdash the repertoire includes Mozarts requiem as a tribute to Wadias late husband Nariman who was also a choir member and Coronation Mass as a celebration of the 50year milestone Wadia 84 looks back on her journeyA sectional tenor rehearsal in progressEdited excerpts from an interviewTell us about your musical background and your early days in the choirI was a pianist with two diplomas from The Trinity College of London when I joined the choir with Dr Victor Paranjoti As a soprano I enjoyed singing and sang many concerts under him He was a fine choral conductor and I learnt a lot about the nuances of choral singing with him But being a musician I could respond better to his instructions and guidanceWas it challenging to be a woman conductor when you took over It was more of a challenge for me as a singer to be accepted as conductor after his death That was the big hurdle I dont know whether being a woman made a differenceHow do you choose the choir members Since many are working professionals how do you manage an everchanging groupI of course choose people with musical knowledge but many are interested to join and I accept them only if they have a sound ear for music the enthusiasm to be in the choir and if they can attend regular rehearsals This shapes them into good choristers Those who have been with me for long help in the training process If the new members cannot cope and find it too challenging they opt outThe choir is multicultural and multireligious How does diversity impact the musicMusic is a language that brings everyone together regardless of cultural or religious diversity People from different countries also perform together in perfect harmony Music is the force that brings us togetherOver the years several choirs have emerged from the city How has the evolution of the Paranjoti Chorus been in that contextThe Paranjoti Academy Chorus is the only choir that has gone on so many concert tours abroad One of them was a world tour in 1989 In turn we have also invited choirs from other countries like Germany Spain and Japan and have arranged their concert tours all over India These cultural exchanges play an important part in bringing together people from all over the worldAs an observer of the citys evolving music scene what are some of the changing patterns you have witnessedThere was a time when it was largely Parsis and Christians who were studying and performing western music and attending concerts But with organisations like the Symphony Orchestra of India and its training programme The Mehli Mehta Music Foundation and The Furtados School of Music a great interest has been created in western music and children from many different backgrounds are now studying it With each child that performs their families automatically become part of the audience So it is no more only Parsis and Christians who fill up our concert hallsHow would you look back on this journey of 50 yearsMy journey as a conductor has been extremely challenging rewarding exciting and fulfilling as I look back with a great sense of accomplishment at the last 50 years I could ask for no more