Bangalore Chorus celebrates a decade with musical hits

The Bangalore Chorus, led by Maya Mascarenhas, returns with its latest production, ‘Big Bang Carnaval’, at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Vyalikaval, on October 11 and 12. Co-directed by Judith Roby Bidapa, the production marks the choir’s 10th anniversary.

The performance is the annual concert under the ‘Big Bang’ series, which began in 2017. This edition’s theme is ‘carnaval’(meaning ‘carnival’ in Brazilian) — a celebration of music and theatre. It symbolises joy and festivity. “Each year, we explore a new theme in the series. This time, we wanted to present a medley of genres varying from classic to rock to hip-hop, and spotlight talented children,” said Maya.

The production will feature a lively mix of songs from popular musicals — a medley from ‘Wicked’, including hits like ‘Popular’, ‘One short day’, and ‘Defying gravity’; as well as numbers from ‘In the Heights’ such as ‘Carnaval del Barrio’ and the title song, ‘Ascot gavotte’ from ‘My Fair Lady’, a duet from ‘Lakmé’, and ‘A musical’ from ‘Something Rotten!’.

Also part of the lineup are ‘Children will listen’ from ‘Into the Woods’, and ‘Louder than words’ from ‘Tick, Tick… Boom!’, both chosen for their message.

“Through the songs we’ve selected, we wanted to encourage adults to reflect on how children learn from what they see and hear around them,” Maya said. The concert will raise funds for the Gubbachi Learning Community, which supports the education of migrant and slum children in Bengaluru.

‘Big Bang Carnaval’, Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Vyalikaval, October 11 and 12, 4 pm and 7 pm. WhatsApp [phone]. Tickets online.