By Willie Gordon Suting
& Nabamita Mitra
Three choirs from the North East, including one from Shillong, recently mesmerised a global audience at the 4thAsia-Pacific Choir Games held in Colombo last month.
The Mizo Cardinal Choir, which was initiated and founded by C Zodingliana in 2012 “with the vision to showcase the talent and beauty and the cultural and religious heritage of the Mizos”, won the Grand Prix gold medal at the competition.
“Like any other choir in the North East, our choir too concentrates on singing choral music and in churches and charity events. However, the dedication of the members to take it a step farther and learn new music and revisiting old choral music with a new interpretation is worth mentioning,” says conductor Steven L Ralte.
The choir consists of 19 choristers — five sopranos, four altos, five tenors and five basses, besides Ralte. Most of the members are in their late twenties and the youngest being 19 years old. The devoted members of the musical group practise rigorously twice a week, says Ralte, who was a choirmaster at Madras Christian College.
Eighteen of the choir members, including the conductor, went to Colombo on October 20.
Talking about the experience in Colombo, Ralte says the organisers and volunteers were of great help and the planning of events was exceptional. The choir won the Gold Diploma in the open competition, gold in the champions competition and the Grand Prix of nations.
“We are now looking forward to the World Choir Games 2018. As Christmas is approaching, the choir will focus on concerts and carols,” says Ralte, who is a PhD research scholar in Philosophy.
Henry Varte, who is a tenor in the choir, sounds ecstatic when asked about the contingent’s experience at the Asia-Pacific competition. “It was amazing. I am still speechless and dazed and could hardly explain my feelings to people. The choir had performed in different places in India but this was the first time that we went outside the country. That itself was an experience. The winning of the Grand Prix added to the exhilaration,” says Varte on phone from Mizoram.
When asked about his plan for the choir in future, Ralte says he wants to contribute “as much as possible to people of the North East through choral singing”.
“Music has the power to heal wounds, encourage and build community,” he adds.
The Nagaland Chamber Choir was another winner of gold in the Open Competition in the Gospel, Spiritual, Music of Spirit and Faith categories. It also won gold in the Folklore a cappella section. In the next level, the choir fell behind with silver in both categories and could therefore not contest at the Grand Prix section.
“There are moments in life when our self-confidence is completely demolished. Then we realise God has been at work all along,” says the soft-spoken coordinator, Lima Pongen.
The group of 28 people reached yhe Sri Lankan capital on October 20. “It was a proud and humble moment for the choir to represent India. The Choir has gained rich experiences and perspectives to enhance and encourage Choral music to a higher level of international standard not only in the state but in the country as well,” says Pongen of the choir that was formed in August 2003 under the leadership of Kughaho Chishi, who was then a music lecturer at Patkai Christian College and is presently pursuing his doctoral study in USA.
The choir members comprise trained professionals, enthusiastic music lovers who are entrepreneurs, working professionals, government employees and a few students of Patkai Christian College. “Our passion for music brings us together though all of us are from different walks of life,” says Pongen, a dentist by profession.
The Nagaland Chamber Choir organises choral festival every two years. The third episode will be held in the autumn of 2018.
The choir, which had 22 members in the contingent to Colombo, competed in two categories — Gospel/ spiritual category and Folklore a capella. It won silver medals in both the categories. It also got golden diplomas in both the categories and secured a direct entry to the next champion competition.
When asked about his plan for the choir, Pongen says, “My dream for the choir is that we will be ambassadors to promote choral music, enhance the ministry of churches through music, put the North East on the world map of choral music.”
Back home, Brian Wallang, the conductor of KC Lights Choir of Kiddies Corner School says the team is not happy about winning only a silver medal in the youth category. “But it was a learning experience and God has been with us throughout,” says Wallang.
The 16-member choir, comprising children, says the competition was very tough. “We didn’t know that we had to sing without microphones in a theatre where performers and audience were not allowed to enter. But we gave our best”, says Wallang.
KshiteejSingh, choir member, says, “The experience was just amazing as we learned a lot about ourselves creatively”.
“We got a chance to showcase our culture as we dressed in traditional khasi attire there”, says John Rymbai, choir member.
Wallang says that it would not have happened if Ike Sinha, manager of Shillong Chamber Choir and Interkultur organisation didn’t approve them. He also says Emmanuel Marbaniang, choir director of Serenity Choir had guided them all along.
The choir which wants to compete in the World Choir Games in South Africa next year say, “We want to give our voices for a good cause that “music can unite people”.
The Northeast has produced many talents in the sphere of music. Shillong Chamber Choir, who won India’s Got Talent, is now a household name who have made it big in the world stage. And these three choirs, who brought laurels to the region, have also paved a way for themselves creatively. As the adage goes that it all starts from humble beginnings, these choir groups have showed that they have a bright future ahead in the music world.
