Bengaluru choirs add a touch of contemporary this Christmas season

With Christmas just days away, choirs in the city are gearing up to ring in festive cheer. Non-stop rehearsals to sing in harmony to celebrate what Christmas is all about is what drives these choirs to perfection. Although some have been performing for over two decades, their music appeals to youngsters because of the ways they reinvent themselves and their music.We find out more.
Reinventing their music
Reji Chandy, founder of Bengaluru-based gospel choir Glorious, says, “The main idea behind each of our performances is to create unity through the harmony of voices.” But they do try to do different things every year. “This is the 30th year of Glorious and we have some of our older members joining us to sing old favourites. Also, this year’s performance is free and we’ll be performing in an orphanage, where 200 children will join us,” says Reji, adding, “In addition to this, we try to tweak the songs a bit, by adding different tunes to make it contemporary. We hold onto the traditions and culture, but tweak it in such a way that it appeals to youngsters.”
Similarly, Arthur Pais, a member of the Cecilian Choir, which has been performing for 36 years, says, “People want to listen to something different, and we aim to offer that. At our recent performance, we didn’t do traditional Christmas songs; instead, we did a different version of O Come All Ye Faithful. As a choir, we try not to do the same piece. We have systematically reinvented ourselves and our music over the years. But we continue to sing in harmony without forgetting our roots in music.” Arthur says that having young members in the choir also helps. “Our conductor, Deirdre Fernandes-Dominic, is a young member, who has matured, as our music matures. As a choir, we have endeavoured to have youngsters who bring something new,” says Arthur.
Meanwhile, Rebecca Thomas Colaco, Head of Faculty at Bangalore School of Music (BSM), says that every year, they try to have a different musical theme at their annual music festival, Rhapsody. “We also associate ourselves with a different cause to raise money each year and have a different musical theme. In terms of the performances, the students change every year and a variety of music — including Western classical, Western contemporary and traditional music — is performed at the festival,” says Rebecca.
Attracting younger audiences is the biggest challenge
One of the biggest challenges, say choir members, is having a dedicated set of audiences for each performance. “Our basic problem is that the audience expects the songs to change with every performance, which is why choral performances have to change each time as well. We have travelled to different countries and seen how quality performances are held. Your game has to change. You cannot do the same stuff that was done 40-50 years ago and expect the audience to appreciate it. Older audience members would, but not younger ones. So, the biggest challenge is to bring in a new audience,” says Arthur.
Since most members of a choir are working professionals and students, pulling them out of their schedule for long rehearsals is challenging. Rebecca says that the students who perform at Rhapsody sacrifice a lot. “Since each student’s schedule is hectic, with schools wrapping up before Christmas holidays and conducting tests, it is sometimes difficult to get them together for rehearsals. In addition to this, the number of hours that students put in (they practice till 8 pm on some days) becomes hectic,” says Rebecca.
Singing is not restricted to carols and English songs
While most choirs perform English carols, Reji says it’s more than just that. “We perform Christmas songs and songs that capture the festive spirit not just in English. Glorious performs songs in vernacular languages as well,” he says. Similarly, Arthur says that the Cecilian Choir doesn’t stick to just carols. “We’ve performed in Swahili, German and Latin. We don’t just sing traditional songs, but perform different versions of them. Christmas is popular and any people enjoy any song that brings alive the spirit of the festival,” he says. However, there are some carols that are all-time favourites. “Silent Night, Joy to the World and We Wish You A Merry Christmas are some songs that are extremely popular and are known to everyone,” Rebecca sums up.