Cappella Bangalore covers Vivaldi, Schubert and more

The all-female vocal group has performed across country since it was formed in 2019, writes Stanley Carvalho

It wasn’t the best time when Cappella Bangalore, an all-female ensemble, was born. Barely a few months into rehearsals, the city was faced with the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns. The choir remained composed and ambitious, continuing with Zoom rehearsals and virtual concerts and focusing on upskilling themselves.

When normalcy was restored, the performances began in full swing. “From 2022 on, we have been doing eight to 10 concerts on average every year; we are not a seasonal choir,” asserts Jonas Olsson, conductor of the choir.

In 2016, Olsson founded ‘The Bangalore Men’, an all-male choir. Their harmonic soundscape stole many hearts. Cheered on by their success, the all-female choir was formed in late 2019.

Cappella Bangalore’s musical journey began with a dozen women; after five years, the choir has grown to 26. Their ages range from 21 to 52.

The choir strength seems ideal, enabling eight-part or four-part harmonies, offering the audience different experiences, from powerful to gentle.

“I work a lot on vocals, expression and text interpretation. Music is not just about learning notes but making the music come off the papers so you feel it; it is not a brain experience but a heart experience,” he says.

He recalled the positive reception to the choir’s debut stage performance in 2022 at St Andrew’s Church, Bengaluru. The wide repertoire, albeit challenging for the choir, enraptured the audience.

In 2024, the two choirs put up 15 performances, a notable one being ‘Vivaldi’s Gloria’, an arrangement of all female voices, and an eight-part ‘Ave Maria’ that had never been performed in India before.

Unlike some a cappella choirs that have embraced new trends, innovation and technology, Olsson has remained steadfast to the tradition of the genre, performing largely choral western classical music. The choir has performed musical pieces from more than seven centuries — the 1200s up to the 2000s.

But he is open to trying out other genres as long as it is good music. “We’ve done modern music, a full programme with opera choruses, and Broadway performances with musical numbers,” he shares.

Moreover, all their concerts are unamplified. Microphones take away from the natural resonance, he believes. Olsson emphasises that “a cappella is in the style of the chapel, unaccompanied”.

For the uninitiated, a cappella is a form of singing that does not use any instrumental accompaniment, a testament to the pure power of the human voice.

Aside from regular local concerts, Cappella Bangalore and The Bangalore Men have performed across India including at NCPA Mumbai together with the Symphony Orchestra of India, and music festivals in Goa and elsewhere. The ensembles have launched two Spotify albums.

Their next act is an English Baroque Opera by composer Henry Purcell in collaboration with musicians from Olsson’s home country Sweden. The two groups will perform three shows between January 24 and 25 at Bangalore International Centre, Domlur.