A discovery of fine traditions

Ringing in the festive season, Harmony International Music (HIM) Foundation, in association with Shobha Developers, took the audience on a wonderful journey through their musical ‘Cadence 13’.

The musical which had a unique theme,  ‘Around the World in 80 Minutes’, was directed by Sandra Oberoi. The production showcased how Christmas is celebrated across the world.

The evening began with the story of three siblings, Sarah, Sam and Sally, who
are stuck at home on Christmas Eve as their parents are busy at work. While looking for ways to entertain themselves, they chance upon an old dusty book that was titled ‘Around the World in 80 Minutes: Celebrating Christmas the World Over’.

On opening the book, they are ushered into this magical journey, where they are led to discover Christmas traditions from different countries and even as they read from the
old book, they are transported to each country as the tableau comes alive with music,
drama and dance.

From Russia to Brazil, Australia to India, the stage resonates with beautiful harmonies from these countries and many more. Songs like Stile Nacht (Germany), Gesu Bambino (Italy), ‘Whence Comes This Rush’ (France) and many others filled the air.
Choirs, a string ensemble, ballerinas, flamenco dancers and African drummers mesmerised the audience.

   Professional artistes like Pamela Hinchman and Harrah Freidlander were the guest performers for the evening. For Pamela, this was her first time in India and she was impressed by the way the children performed.

“Looking at the level of talent and the quality of education they have received, it was indeed a pleasure to have performed with such a team. The children have
managed to even perform some harmonies that were
difficult for someone that young and the way they
handled the costume changes was very impressive,” she added.

In the play, the children spoke a bit about each country, its food, Christmas traditions and other trivia.

 One of the highlights of the play was the Japanese composition and Tanoshi Christmas by Sanjana Karthik. Another highlight was the finale, when all the participants got on the stage and sang a jazzed-up version of Sare Jahan Se Accha.  

Sandra Oberoi, the director of the production, said, “The children have really given
so much for this production and the overwhelming response is the result of their hard work. More than anything, each and every child had a lot of knowledge
about the performance and what was even more wonderful was the fact that they did this for a noble cause.”

Through this concert, the HIM Foundation raised awareness about the Red
Ribbon Revolution, an initiative to eradicate the stigma and discrimination associated with children living with AIDS. The proceeds went towards EDUCATE - a
scholarship fund set up to provide ongoing education for underprivileged children.