SHILLONG: The Kiddies Corner choir – KC Lights, who were also the winners of the International Choir Competition, Grand Prix Thailand, 2018 have been offered the chance to sing at Raj Bhavan on Independence Day.
Speaking on the felicitation ceremony on Thursday, Director of Arts and Culture Matsiewdor War Nongbri requested KC Lights to perform at the Raj Bhavan on August 15.
Turning to their performances, she said, “I have no words to express what KC Lights has given us. You have changed the way we look at music and culture.”
With the children giving a soulful rendition of U Sier Lapalang, she said that KC Lights brought so much emotion and a new dimension to the traditional folk tales from the hills.
“Give us an opportunity and we will be there all the time,” she said adding that she will inform Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and the Ministers about their feat.
Brian Wallang, principal of Kiddies Corner, told reporters that they wanted to focus on Khasi folk music which was very well-received by the audience as they have never heard Khasi music before in their lives.
Some of the songs also incorporated Jaintia and Garo in an effort to cover the whole of Meghalaya.
Stating that he gave the judges a gist of Sier Lapalang, Wallang said: “After the choir finished singing, out of the five judges-three of them were crying. It just proves that music has no boundary. People feel it. They sang from their heart.”
Wallang informed that the choir had planned to go to Bali for the International Choral Festival in Indonesia but since it was very expensive they turned their eyes to Thailand.
He bemoaned of the lack of monetary support be it from the government or any of the companies to sponsor.
“There are so many business houses in Shillong who earn so much from students and when you go to them to give back, they don’t want to,” he said.
“We spoke to NEC and if we come to them two months in advance, they will help us also. NEC is giving us some hope,” he said.
Asked on the offer to perform on Independence Day, Wallang expressed willingness to do so. “I would love to. I think taking my music and our children’s music to anyone who requires it, I don’t mind but it should be specifically for fund raising, if there are schools in Shillong or rural areas that need us to sing so that they can collect money,” he said.
Having proved their worth at Thailand, Wallang informed that offers have been made to the choir to sing in London, Croatia, Czechoslovakia and Malaysia. Commenting on the inclusion of music in the school curriculum, he said that he has suggested this to the government about this about 6-7 years back.
He said that there is no dearth of talent in the state be it in music, performing arts and fine arts. “So my suggestion to the government is to divide Arts, science, commerce and vocational,” he said.“In Thailand in their education policy, as long as you are able to do something you are considered a student. Here if you are not doing arts, commerce and science, you are considered nobody,” Wallang said.
