Summersalt member Kit Shangpliang on Aroha’s Christmas Special
IT WAS an early arrival for carols this year at U Soso Tham Auditorium, where the Christmas colour – red with patches of green and white – and spirit warmed the cold air on a cultured December night. Shillong’s choir group, the Aroha Choir left a heartfelt impression on the audience during their Christmas concert ‘A Christmas Special’, over the weekend.
There’s one thing to notice; Shillong is now a confirmed music stage for all kinds of listeners. The day before there was Smokie and the following day, Aroha and its artistic partners took choir music cocktailed with jazz, cello and poetry to another soulful pedestal.
This time round, choir director Pauline Warjri and her team put together a very inclusive concert to celebrate the gift of every contributor attached with the Aroha creative clan. The night was very participative, when the teachers, the students and the Aroha Junior choir sang and played from the heart.
It all started with the piano duets of It’s a small world, Silent Night, O ome all ye faithful, the Swan Lake and Let it snow. It moved on to piano solos of Hermiones (the wild donkeys). There was a lot of good cheer as Adiel Massar’s cello interfaced with Emmanuel Marbaniang’s piano playing, titled “The Swan” Camille Saint Saen.
Then the unstoppable fingers of Ronojit Chaliha took the audience to the place they needed to be, with his jazz variations on “Hark the Herald Angels sing” by C Wesley/F Mendelssohn. After all, it was only Ron who could have the crowd provide rhythm to his jazz pieces and the clapping was note-worthy.
Then the profound pieces followed with “Myn nyngkong U la don U Ktien” from the Oratorio “U Ktien” P Warjri, “For unto us a child is born” from the Oratorio “The Messiah” GF Handel , “Silent Night” Franz Gruber, “Ri Khasi”, “Bhubon Bhora” Bengali Christian hymn and a French traditional “Carol of the Bells/Sing We now of Christmas”.
It might be unfair to compare a talented little singer with a professionally driven choir, but young Venetia K Warshong is and part of both. Her “Sweet Little Jesus Boy” would attract any record company just like that, not only because of the voice she possesses but her natural awareness and confidence to contact a microphone, which usually, many seasoned choir singers fall short. Looks like this 12-year-old understands that she needs to hear herself well and every word and diction that comes out from her breath when she sings. It can be a technical turf, but such humility will guide her well.
Many who’s who of Shillong attended the concert along with a full house audience who stayed put till the end. As for Pauline Wajri’s Aroha Choir, the next sleigh ride stop will be at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Until then, that December 6 is a night to remember.