Prepare for a weekend of many voices coming together in a choral performance, albeit with a twist. This will not be a typical choir dishing out hymns or acappela, instead Bengaluru’s Rhapsody choir will be belting out pop and rock ‘n’ roll covers with a full-fledged band.
The brainchild of choir conductor, pianist and composer Sudhakar John Doraiswamy, Rhapsody will present a choral rock concert, titled ‘Nosta-la-mode’ featuring choral versions of chart-busters from the yesteryears to today’s tunes.
The concert is in aid of Liza’s Home, a centre established for the care and rehabilitation of brain-injured and mentally-challenged girls and women in Bengaluru.
Sudhakar says, “The whole choir is excited. We’ve put in a lot of time into this concert. We’ve been working on it since February.”
In store for music lovers will be some classic rock and contemporary music, he points out.
“There will be music for everyone. As the name says, it’s based on the theme of nostalgia and à la mode. Old timers and youngsters can both enjoy our music. Everyone is going to go home happy.”
Elaborating on the theme, Sudhakar says they noticed that they had music right from the 60s to present day when they were putting the repertoire together. “Nosta-la-mode seemed like the right word – a mix of nostalgia and contemporary – and summed up the concert description perfectly.”
“We’re doing everything from the Bohemian Rhapsody, Adele, Jasan Mraz, Bruno Mars, to La Bamba, Enrique Iglesias and more.” On putting them into a choral format, he says any of these songs can be performed in a choral style. “It’s all in the arrangement. I’ve personally arranged a couple of songs for this concert and purchased the others which are already arranged for the choir format. Abroad, this is a popular concept and a lot of choirs do these arrangements. We’re trying to capture the style of the original artiste. Instead of making it sound like a choir, we are performing the song the way the composer envisioned and articulated it.”
Sudhakar adds that not everyone appreciates choral music and hopes this concert will open people’s eyes.
“The word choir is usually associated with church music or sacred hymns. But here, we’re going to transform the entire set up into a rock concert. We’re showing that the choir can also have fun and that’s something the audience will take back. I hope people will think twice when they hear the word choir next time,” he beams.
Catch the choir live at Lincoln Hall, Baldwin Boys’ School Auditorium, Hosur Road, Richmond Town, on August 5 and 6 from 6 pm onwards.
Tickets on bookmyshow. Visit www.rhapsodybangalore.com.
