They are all here to sing for Aunty Mary Anne
View(s):Duvindi Illankoon speaks to some of the Merry An Singers as they get ready for their comeback show, The Masters and the Musicals
“Mary Anne means business when it comes to music,” quips Upul Nawaratne Bandara. “I would know!” A senior marketing professional who finds peace in his music, Upul has ‘always sung’. He joined the Merry An Singers some time back for training and credits the choir’s celebrated conductor Mary Anne David for instilling in him a strong sense of discipline and pure joy in performance.
He’s not alone. It’s a sentiment echoed many times over when we speak to the cast of The Masters and the Musicals, the latest offering by the Mary Anne School of Vocal Music. The cast of all shapes and sizes have had their noses glued (oh so willingly!) to the grindstone by Mary Anne, Andrew and Andre David- the trio behind the Merry An Singers.
The singers: All set for a grand performance after three months of intensive rehearsing. Pic by Mangala Weerasekera
With their show The Masters and the Musicals set to go on the boards this weekend (May 30, 31 and June 1 at the Lionel Wendt) they have plenty to work on. With three months of intensive rehearsing under their belts they should be as ready as they ever will be but as Anushiya Bastiampillai says that’s a question you’ll have to ask her just before the show. “That’s when you know.”
Interestingly enough, this was the title of the first Merry An Singers concert over three decades back. It’s a show that signifies much for the choir having come full circle as it were, says Mary Anne. Supported by her husband of 34 years Andrew, and son Andre (who also founded the David Academy of Performing Arts) Mary Anne heads the musical direction for The Masters and the Musicals. Andrew is producing and Andre is the merciless choreographer. The show, they say, is a tribute to the legends of music from a smorgasbord of eras. While that may sound like the tagline for every concert you’ve attended the Merry An Singers are confident that this is a show that will make its mark.
The individual singers have all got their personal challenges to overcome in the process. Ryan De Mel, for example, is having a rather tough time with his Italian item. “You have to get the accent just so,” he explains. “It’s murder,” adds Yasara Abeynaike. “But very, very rewarding.” Both Ryan and Yasara have been with Mary Anne since they were young adolescents, making them two of the more experienced members in the cast. Mary Anne has already told us that this is a relatively new senior choir, with most of the choristers having joined only a few years or months back.
Beating both Ryan and Yasara in the longevity stakes is renowned soprano Kumudini David; she’s been with Mary Anne for 15 years. “Aunty Mary Anne has guided me through some very tough times.” Though she’s got all this experience of concerts and competitions as a Merry An singer under her belt Kumuduni isn’t feeling the slightest bit of monotony. “Every time we do this, it’s wildly different to the last time. Hearing these different voices blending together perfectly is a beautiful thing.”
Mary Anne: Teacher, mentor and friend
How is she finding working with these new faces and voices? It’s an extensive support system they’ve all come to rely on, she smiles. “We’re all very supportive of each other. If someone makes a mistake, everyone else will get together to help out. Singing in a choir has to be a pitch perfect team effort-else you’re not going to be very good.” Mary Anne is known among her students for her unique teaching ethic. “I’ve knelt in front of an Ave Maria statue while rehearsing a hymn,” says Kumuduni. This hands-on approach to bringing out the emotions in a piece they’re performing has made the Merry An Singers very popular indeed with the audiences. While on stage they come across as a smooth, suave and very much in tune choir-behind the scenes this involves considerable training and effort. “Sometimes you have to just keep going, no matter how exhausted you are,” says Sandani Wijetunge. “But we all love it so much that we just do it, challenging as it may be.”
Chrishni Mendis is one of the newest recruits, having joined just last year. She enrolled in the choir last September ‘for fun’ and seems rather bemused to find herself about to head off to a prestigious university in Scotland to study music, barely a year later. For this show she’ll be singing a slew of classical numbers and has her eye on a solo part.
“I love singing the classics,” she enthuses. “You learn so much about yourself when you sing them. Like if you’re singing about love, you wonder what it would be like to feel like that and have you ever experienced it before. It really touches your soul.” Chrishni hopes to pursue a career in opera one day, if only to “change that stereotypical fat-lady-singing-opera image!”
Musicians for this show, Neranjan De Silva, Dillon Angunawela, Sumudi Suraweera, Isaac Smith and Shihan De Silva are all set to join the choir in the making of a show to remember. Amidst it all, the Merry An Singers credit their mentor for everything she has given them-in music and in life. 18-year-old Ryan sums it up perfectly-“Aunty Mary Anne took me in as a boy, and she has moulded me into a gentleman.”
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