Mumbai's choral life: Choirs get into top gear to welcome Christmas

Last years Festival of Sacred Choral Music at St Peterrsquos Church BandraThe melodic strains of O Holy Night the mellow Santa Baby or the peppier beat of Rocking Around the Christmas Tree theres something magical about Christmas carols and songs Every year choral groups and choirs gear up to welcome Christmas season with musical performances complete with decorations and festive gear at churches and auditoriums across the city We listen inPop goes the choirSingspirators at a concert in NCPAStarted in 2000 Singspirators sings ABBA Queen and Michael Jackson too We started out with singing carols at the Catholic Gymkhana as part of their Carol Nights says founder member Kevin DSouza We are in our 16th year now and have performed at multiple venuesincluding the NCPA We also partner with The StopGaps he adds The 35member group that includes singers aged between 20 to 55 performs with a pianist recorded music and A Capella too and is gearing up for three performances in the coming week Apart from the traditional melodies we perform many modern compositions We do the notsotraditional carols like Birthday of the King too says DSouzaON December 17 630 pm onwards AT Tata Theatre NCPA Nariman Point Call 66223737Log on to wwwbookmyshowcom COST Rs 500 to Rs 1200 ON December 18 630 pm onwardsAT Our Lady of Health Cavel Chira BazaarFree ON December 19 AT Willingdon Gymkhana Church Ave Willingdon Santacruz WENTRY Free for membersDesi arrangements for Western harmonyIn 2004 a group of spirited youngsters from India participated in the Chorfestival 2004 the international festival of sacred music in Cologne Germany They were led by musician performer and teacher Celeste Cordo The youth were the seniormost members of the childrenrsquos choir she started called The Gleehive they were banded under the choir Cadenza Kantori The choir consists of people in the age group of 15 to 25 We perform A cappella We donrsquot have a melody instrument backing us but instead use Indian percussions instruments says Ronaan Roy choir memberThe choir has 20 members eight boys and 12 girls Over the years their singing has matured and their melody lines have become even more complicated The choir borrows from the musical influences of each Indian state and sings in different languages even getting in people outside the team to help get the pronunciation right We are known mostly for our Indian classical arrangements using western classical harmonies but we also perform Latin Western Classical and Jazz musicThis year they will be participating in the 13th edition of their annual Christmas concert Festival of Sacred Choral Music The theme is love and the concert is titled Mark of Love It will feature sevenminute performances by 12 childrenrsquos choirs Given this yearrsquos theme we want to discuss how a misunderstanding between two people can be resolved with open dialogue engagement and understanding says RoyON December 11 730 pm onwardsAT St Peters Church Hill Road Ranwar Bandra WCall 26431200Adding a contemporary twistMembers of Stop Gaps rehearsing in Bandra PicSHADAB KHANThe origin of their Christmas concerts goes back to the 1972 floods in Chennai when Alfred J DSouza conductor of the StopGaps Choral Ensemble decided to organise a Christmas concert to raise funds And 33 years later the Christmas tradition of hosting a concert continues The StopGaps Cultural Academy the citybased offshoot of the Choral Ensemble is a performance choir known for their spiffy costumes dance movements and innovative compositions The choir is versatile having done everything from Classical to modern Pop The members cut across age groups and professions some singers have been there for over two decades They perform A cappella sometimes accompanied by a piano instruments change according to the song and theyve used the harp flute drums guitar and saxophoneThis year the StopGaps are completing 25 years and celebrations will be big The Festival of Festive Music is an annual celebration that invites choirs from across the country to come together and participate in a themed concert this year will see 15 choirs from Mumbai Bengaluru and Pune Our theme is communication The finale will feature all the choirs singing an original composition of mine titled Stamp of love It talks about reaching out to people healing wounds bridging gaps and fostering a sense of togetherness all of which this season is known for says DSouzaON December 17 18 630 onwardsAT Tata Theatre NCPA Nariman PointCall 66223737COST Rs 500 to Rs 1200Singing the classic A CappellaParanjoti choir at an earlier concertThe chorus founded in 1956 is a dedicated group of amateurs from a mix of religions and professions mdash ranging from students to doctors and housewives from the age of 17 to 70 Conducted by maestra Coomi Wadia the 43member Paranjoti Choir has been recognised in festivals across the world for their outstanding A cappella The group has sung in over 22 languages and has performed choral masterpieces including Bachrsquos Mass in B minor and St John Passion Beethovenrsquos Ninth Symphony Because of a majority of members being working professionals the group has been finding it increasingly difficult to rehearse together There are no ninetofive jobs anymore Earlier we would rehearse twice a week Now we do once a week on Saturday afternoons for three to four hours Just before a concert we try to include Sundays too shares Wadia The group considers their Christmas concerts special We love to perform in churches during Christmas It brings so much more to a performance as opposed to a hall Christmas is not just about tinsel and cake There is sanctity about the birth of Christ Some carols that we perform including Silent Night are ones that stay in the mind forever It also helps that the audience is a diverse mix says Wadia The good thing is that many new people are writing carols too One of our exmembers wrote a beautiful lullaby for Christ in Hindi which we always perform she addsON December 16 7 pm AT Afghan Church Navy Nagar ColabaCall 22020420 ON December 18 7 pmAT Scots Kirk Church opposite Lion Gate u00c2u0080u00c2u0088FortFree