“Harmony runs in our very souls,” says Reji Chandy, Founder and Director of one of Bangalore’s most popular choirs, Glorious, which is all geared up to present their silver jubilee concerts over the weekend.
Reji’s wife Estherhas been his pillar of strength. The couple, who met at a church choir saw a “need to take choir music into concert halls and somehow rekindle the love, joy and peace of harmony music.” That is how Glorious came into being. “We did a little research and realized that choirs appeared to be a rapidly dwindling set of bodies that came together solely for Christmas, Easter and the occasional wedding. Yet our young people were still very much into music. Only, their hearts beat to the rhythm of another order.”
Restoring lost joys Chandy says, with a smile of contentment on his face, “We set out on a mission to restore the lost joys of harmony singing. It wasn’t song and a dance all the way. We learnt that the dedication and commitment that is needed in a structured system of choir singing was not part of the average young singer’s mindset. A one-concert project was agreeable but meeting together every single week just to practice for the sheer pleasure of it was different. We pleaded, cajoled, pushed, and bulldozed youngsters to revive the language of the angels. Twenty-four years later, we look back in complete fulfilment .”
The choir has presented over 1,000 concerts inthe last 24 years. They believe in carrying the message of love, hope and unity, touching the hearts of thousands, regardless of age, creed or religion. The choir is not just a group of musicians and singers but it is of a close knit family, bound together by a common love for music and the One that gave them the song.
Glorious is known to be a choir in which one doesn’t need audition to get in. Nonetheless, a good number of people, irrespective of age, vie to be a part of it. It is only natural to believe there could be drawbacks but Regi thinks otherwise. “Not by our standards, for sure. What we do in Glorious is to try and make it a way of life. Music is part of that journey and we focus more on the harmony in the heart than the harmony in the voices. The atmosphere of acceptance sees music take centre stage as differences are laid aside in the blending of minds and voices, “he explains.
For those looking forward to their silver jubilee Christmas concerts this weekend,it promises to be a heart-warming nostalgic bonanza with well-loved veteran lead-singers like Priya Mendens, Joshua Prabhakar, Sabitha Jonas, Herbert Paul, Michelle Cherian and Reji Chandy merging with current soloists Michelle Khiangte, Daniel Kartik, Persis Thomas, Karun Chandy, Pilith Pericho, Nestin Vaz, Elita Persis and Kaavya Chandy.
A special feature this year will be the 15 piece String Ensemble led by Augustine Shandy, along with Herbert Paul (Guitar), Joel Jacob Keyboard), Pavan Peter Keyboard), Ashish John (Drums) and Ashish Paul (Bass Guitar )
According to the choir director, “Through a thoughtfully created package of holiday music, Glorious urges people to lay aside the tired cynicism we have absorbed through our grown-up perceptions of Christmas, and simply see the wonder of it through the eyes of a child. The songs this year encourage the listener who is weighed down by the need to achieve more to turn back to the original Christmas story and understand that the season, and ultimately all of life is about giving more and not getting more as we are accustomed to.”
The choir apart, Reji and Esther Chandy have also developed Glorious Promised Land located at the foothills of Nandi Hills, which serves as a place where families can take time off to renew themselves in spirit and in body. It is also ideal for conferences, camps, picnics, retreats, concerts.
Speaking of Bangalore’s present day choir scenario, Reji says , “Four-part harmony singing is actually trans-genre, running in our very blood, flowing beyond boundaries of style and statement, weaving people and music together. And Bangalore today acknowledges this fact.”
Looking ahead, “Glorious will continue to bring hope to the hopeless, unconditional love to the hurting, renewed faith to the lost. This has been our story through the years and the journey will go on.”
Glorious will perform on December 21 and 22, 2013 at Baldwin Girls’ High School Ground, Richmond Road at 6.30 pm. For details, call 9243109701/ 25484004 or visit gloriousmusic@gmail. com
