Voices from Lanka, Asia’s best

Over a hundred choirs from the Asia- Pacific region, around 4000 spectators, international recognition, the Sri Lankan National Anthem played for all to hear. Undoubtedly, this would have been the experience of a lifetime for two groups of extremely talented Sri Lankans.

November 2- 10 heralded what has been hailed as a victory for Western Music in Sri Lanka, when two local choirs- The Revelations and Voices in Harmony won gold medals at the first ever Asian Choir Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia. Organized by INTERKULTUR Germany, the Asian Choir Games are Asia-Pacific’s version of the Choir Olympics that were first hosted in Linz, Austria. The competition was held in 21 categories according to age, voicing and different music genres.

“The moment we heard that we had won first place was phenomenal! We came in as underdogs, in the sense that we had none of the experience that the other choirs had - they had competed in other international competitions, and we had to rely purely on instinct and the experiences we had in Sri Lanka,” said Sanjeev Jayaratnam, the choir leader and director of The Revelations.

More than winning awards in all the categories we participated in, the atmosphere of the competition itself was great, said Ishan de Lanerolle, President of The Revelations. There was no malice or ill feeling among any of the contestants even if they did’t come first in a particular category, he added.

Formed in 1994 by a group of eight Old Thomians, The Revelations emerged champions in the Gospel and Spiritual music category, won a silver medal in the Sacred Music category and a gold diploma, emerging as champions on the Male Vocal Ensemble Category in the Asian Open Section.

“ We competed against these huge choirs, some comprising 40-50 singers, and we were just a group of eight. In addition to this, most of the other choirs had many instruments to accompany them and we sang acapella,” says Ishan, adding that though they were few in number, all eight choristers were able to effectively project their voices. One of the comments made by the judges was that the power of their voices was that which would have been expected from a 20 voice choir.

Hoping to take part in the Choir Olympics to be held next year in Graz, Austria, The Revelations will next hold a fund raising concert, which will feature songs performed at the Choir Games. For the 26 choristers of Voices in Harmony, victory was bittersweet. Their dedicated and dynamic Directress, Ruwani Seimon, was critically ill, fighting the final stages of cancer to which she succumbed on November 7, not long after their triumphant return from Indonesia.

Voices in Harmony established in 1996 by Ruwani won two gold medals in the Mixed Youth Choir and Folklore categories. “For most of us, this was our first trip abroad, and we were a little nervous about the stiff competition from the other choirs. But we never stopped doing our best, because every one of us had one purpose in mind, and that was to give Ms. Ruwani our best performance, to do her proud,” said Charith Peiris, one of the senior members of the choir.

Voices in Harmony had decided to compete at the Asian Choir Games in June and trained for about five months, which, according to Charith is a relatively long time. “We don’t usually practise for such a long time, but this time, Ms. Ruwani was determined that we should make an extra effort, and it paid off! With just one concert, she was able to raise Rs. 2.5 million for us to make the journey-that’s how efficient and driven she was.”

The Choir performed four traditional favourites for the folklore category- Dhanno Budunge, Sanda Wata Ran Tharu, Mee Amba Vanaye and one Baila song. For the Mixed Youth Choir category, they sang Enna Appey Paththay, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, Say (an original by Ruwani Seimon) and Unforgettable. “ When we won, it was awesome!” says Charith, wistfully adding that they all wished Ms. Ruwani had been there to share the moment with them.

Voices in Harmony hopes to continue Ruwani Seimon’s legacy and continue the tradition of producing a concert every other year. “Hopefully we’ll be able to take part in next year’s Choir Olympics- that is something that would make Ms. Ruwani really happy,” says Charith.

Both groups are proud of their achievement, and rightly so, because they have put Sri Lanka on the map in terms of music. Hopefully, we shall hear of further success next year as they continue to do their country proud.