Choral recall

lsquoWe were the first choir to introduce movementrsquoregthinspAlfred DrsquoSouza Stop GapsWe are one of the oldest choirs in the city and are the force behind the Festival of Festive Music at the NCPA the longest running music festival here We invite choirs from all over India to participate and this is our 30th year We set a standard where everybody came in proper costumes and we were the first choir to introduce movementAlfred DrsquoSouzaA happy memory is of the time we sang at the Horniman Circle Gardens I also remember the year of the police riots 1982 when we set up stage but our show had to be cancelledIn the past we used to go carol singing on the streets raising money for various charitable causes People would welcome us into their homes and give us Christmas sweets that they were making If we were singing the whole night many would even wait up for us Unfortunately that spirit of going from home to home and carol singing in the night has died outIn the last two years we had a virtual festival where all choirs recorded their songs from their homes and sent it to us and so we continued things virtually It has not stopped us from doing what we wanted to do The Academy also runs a young talent contest series in the months of June July and August We were delighted to be back at the Tata Theatre last Sunday with social distancingEvery alternate seat had to be sold and we had to take precautions Anyone who was not doubly vaccinated and had that 14day coverage could not perform but we had a very successful concert despite the pandemic Everybody has realised in these two years what a difference it makes to be singing together with that feeling of camaraderie as compared to singing from onersquos own home So they value the coming together even more I am looking forward to more participation in the years ahead Whatever wersquove done wersquove done basically for charity Therersquos a lot that we do by just making music togetherlsquoWhen ladies didnrsquot turn up for rehearsals men sang in falsettorsquoregthinspBlossom Mendonca The Living VoicesBlossom Mendonca at her house in Cuffe Parade PicAtul KambleThe choir began 40 years ago with a competition and then it remained a Christmas choir for years Wersquod gather about a monthandahalf before Christmas sing at the Tata Theatre and even go carolling on the streets of Bandra Itrsquos only in the last 1718 years that wersquove been doing more serious shows but our first love was Christmas carols It used to be chillier then than it is now and we used to rehearse at night While going home everybody would wear scarves and mufflers to keep our throats intact It wasnrsquot just about the singing it was the whole Christmas feeling with people making hot tea and cakes One year we had to give Christmas messages before we sang That was the time when awareness around noise pollution had begun We began with the introduction of Silent Night and then the pianist continued playing while the choir mouthed the words and I conducted Soon the auditorium was filled with giggles Another Christmas the ladies sopranos and altos hadnrsquot turned up for rehearsals and so I trained the men to sing in falsetto and we sang the beautiful Gloria without them causing the audience to listen with raptureOur choir was invited to sing at the Lincoln Centre in March 2020 but five days before the concert the show was cancelled due to COVID19 Since then we havenrsquot met We hope to begin again in a few months and I would love to do something because it is our 40th year But our rehearsal spaces in Mumbai are not big enough for everyone to maintain two feet distance from each otherlsquoOur choir has seen a lot of generations come and gorsquoregthinspMimosa Almeida Pinto The Santa Cruz EnsembleMimosa Almeida PintoI founded my choir in 1992 It was the year of the riots The show at the NCPA was postponed that year so we started singing at the festival from 1993 I had of course been playing at the festival from a very young age even before I formed my own choir Wersquove had a lot of families in our choir and seen a lot of generations come and go We have also regularly been singing in churches for the Sunday mass the midnight mass Easter services as an extension of the church choir Wersquove been part of many concerts at St Andrews and Rangsharda to support causes and charities like CRY Concern India Foundation and Udayan The last two years have been challenging but we have been in touch virtually In our virtual concert last year I had singers joining me from Australia Canada UK US and different parts of India But we missed rehearsing together and the lastminute frenzy before a show This season is special because everyone gets to meet and have a good time and a good plate of snacks is always welcome I always say that the choir that eats well sings well The hope is that we can do a lot more live singing in the coming year The true test of a choir is singing shoulder to shoulder in harmony blending voices It generates a sense of community Live music makes you want to be a better musician because at that moment you have to sing it all at one goPinto with The Santacruz Ensemble which she founded in 1992lsquoWe went around Indian cities to tell everybody that we existedrsquoregthinspCoomi Wadia Paranjoti Academy ChorusCoomi WadiaI sang in Dr Victor Paranjotirsquos choir from 1961 to 1966 After he died in 1967 I was chosen as the conductor to take on the Paranjoti choir Within four months we had our first concert in May 1967 and it was a huge success At the time we used to rehearse at the Wesley Church in Colaba In 1968 we went around India in cities like Calcutta Delhi and Bangalore to tell everybody that we existed Then in 1972 The Lincoln Centre was inviting choirs from colleges from around the world to sing I went as an observerconductor It was my first step out of India as a conductor but the choir couldnrsquot come because we werenrsquot under the umbrella of a college My first European tour as a conductor was in 1974 There were others in 1977 and 1981 and a world tour in 1989 In 2009 I performed Handelrsquos Messiah with a choir and an orchestra and Mozartrsquos Requiem in 2017 at the NCPA in MumbaiCoomi Wadia with the Paranjoti Academy Chorus at the Tata Theatre NCPA Wadia started conducting the choir in 1967 which travelled all over the world with her giving more than 200 concerts in 18 countriesOn Christmas we have performed in churches everywhere in the city from Afghan Church in the south to churches in Malad and Chembur in the north Years ago we did a concert in the middle of the St Xavierrsquos quadrangle We donrsquot perform our Christmas concert every year but when we do we make sure to go to different churches Christmas concerts are very special to us because we love singing in atmospheric places doing Silent Night for instance only with diyas which makes it very evocative giving it a holy mystic quality something that canrsquot be achieved in a concert hall There is a magic to singing carols by candlelight in a beautiful church I like doing Christmas carols from around the world representing all cultures We donrsquot earn money The choir and the conductor are not paid When we are paid it goes in the kitty of the choir to help get more things for the choir Itrsquos totally for the love of the music that we do it I havenrsquot seen the choir in the last two years We just had a meeting with the committee a few days ago and wersquore wondering how many will return They have all dispersed and gone different ways living with their children in Singapore and the UK I donrsquot know whorsquos going to come back