JOIN USEchoes of choir singing
The two-day event saw almost 30 choirs participating from different churches, schools and colleges from across the City, Kerala and even Tamil Nadu.
Esther Chandy of Glorious said, “We basically wanted to focus on the four-part harmony singing and this event is especially to show people, mainly children, that singing in a choir is a good thing. Nowadays, children are disinterested in choir singing and have distanced themselves from it, so we are trying to bring the practice back.”
Beginning with just six choirs, the festival now has numerous entries from enthusiastic choirs and groups. The first day had about 17 choirs participating, most of which were from schools. The second day, with 23 groups, had more variety as colleges, churches and even bands participated. The practice has caught on as more and more groups have performed since then.
“There has been a phenomenal response from the children. Numerous choirs wanted to participate in the event. Some schools even practise throughout the year to perform here,” added Esther.
Melodious choir groups, comprising children and adults, sang beautiful songs and even some famous pop numbers. Popular old hits like ‘I will follow him’, ‘One Love’, and ‘Because’ were performed. On the other hand, devotional songs were much loved by the older members of the audience. Songs in Hindi and Malayalam were also sung by the visiting choirs.
Groups like El Fe from Chennai and the Indiranagar Methodist Church Choir got the audience hooked to their lively singing. The Pallottine Youth for Jesus Choir and the Christ University Choir sang beautiful slow songs for the audience. There were even orchestras performing such as the Kodaikanal International School.
Some choirs have been singing since the festival began. The Bishop Cotton Academy and the Christ University choir have been an integral part of the concert and perform every year without fail.
This was also the first time rock bands were introduced in the festival. ‘Thermal and a Quarter’ and ‘Slain’ were the stars of the show. Veronica, a student said, “The choirs have shown beautiful harmony and skill. They are so lively and the slow songs truly moved me. I loved it when the little children sang and the college choirs have also performed very well. It is nice to see them all come together and sing here.”
Jessy, a homemaker said, “The devotional songs performed by the choir were very beautifully sung. It is a nice thing that all the different churches from across the City have come together on one platform to perform.”