Rev up for the revelations

I had been warned, prior to my appointment, that I would probably hear my interviewees before I see them. And as we finally parked outside No. 23, down a little lane in Nawala (having had quite a detour), there wasn't any doubt that we were in the right place. The rich, powerful voices coming from inside gave me a pretty good picture of what to expect.

"Revelations" is definitely not an unfamiliar name in the local music sphere, having a reputation of some amazing performances under their belt, throughout the years. And now, capitalising on the experience factor of its more senior members, and the freshness of its new blood, they plan to take the stage early next month, promising yet another super performance. Good Vibrations, scheduled to be performed on May 4 and 5, at The Russian Cultural Centre, promises to be a mixed bag of all time favourites, belonging to several genres of music.

After many digs at each other, the lively (and quite crazy) members of this talented choral group, finally settled down to tell me all about the musical journey of the "Revelations," their upcoming show and future plans. "We initially launched out in 1994, when most of us were just out of school. There were about 22 of us and we did a mix of music ranging from classical to pop, spiritual and jazz," said Sanjeev Jayaratnam "We basically enjoyed doing anything "harmonizable!" he added. But eventually, with all of the members being professionals in some field or the other, work commitments and other responsibilities pushed them into disbanding.

"But a few years down the line a few of us started doing some back-up singing for Purple Rain and then for a few other reputed artistes such as Damien Wickramathilake and Desmond de Silva, and also performing at weddings and so on. And in 1999 or 2000, we came up with an octet, where we had a good blend of voices," said Sanjeev. "An Evening of Sacred Music," held in 2001, was the Revelations' next big performance after regrouping. Working together with Mary Anne David on a gospel concert, last September, they also backed Rohan de Lanerolle, a senior member of "Revelations," in his solo concert held last year.
The "Revelations" now consists of more or less ten regular members; namely Sanjeev Jayaratnam, Srimanthaka Senanayake, Enaksha Fernando, Rohan de Lanerolle Jr, Ishan de Lanerolle, Manoj Singanayagam, Christopher Godridge, Charith Peris, Asanka Perera and Travis de Silva. The performance will be accompanied by Asitha Tennekoon on piano, Christopher Prins on drums and Rex Fernando on double bass. Incidentally, all the members of "Revelations" are old Thomians, with the one exception of the multi-faceted Manoj.

The age group of this choral group is one interesting fact about them, and what is even more fascinating is the fact that they gel together so well, irrespective of their many differences! Speaking to one of the youngest guys in the group, I got an insight into the experience of being a part of such a diversely talented group of singers. "I have been a part of Revelations for the last three years, having being introduced to it by one of its members. It's great that I am able to gain so much experience singing with such senior members, while being able to make my own contribution as well. Though the singing that we do is of a much higher level, since we have all had a similar grounding back in school, it makes things a lot easier," said Charith.

After much coaxing, the most senior member (age-wise), Christopher Godridge, stepped in graciously to give me his comments on the rich experience of being a part of this musical outfit. "I joined Revelations in 2005, having been a part of the LG Singers and MerryAnne Singers. And it's been good fun right along," says the son of the reputed Kalasuri Lylie Godridge. "My main motivation is the fact that I get to sing harmony and who better to harmonize with than these guys, who do an absolutely excellent job!"

And he laughingly went onto add that the support rendered by the younger guys is much appreciated, whenever "age gets to him," going into a great deal about the "propping up" and "failing knees!"

They all chipped in to give me a gist of what the programme will include, emphasising the fact that most of the hits will be lighter stuff. "Hits from the Beatles, Eagles, Beach Boys (at which point, one of them insisted that they would be clad in beach wear during this particular performance!), Paul Simon and the Platters," We will also be doing many popular classics from musicals such as Phantom of the Opera, Westside Story, Lion King and Les Miserable," said Sanjeev, adding that there will also be some gospel numbers as well as a semi jazz. "What is special about this performance is the fact that since the Revelations' forte normally leans towards more heavy stuff, this will be a novel experience," added another member.

As for future plans, "Revelations" plans to participate in the Choral Olympiad, scheduled to be held in Jakartha, Indonesia, this November. "We feel that we would have a very good chance of excelling there, and this concert is actually in aid of raising funds to participate in the competition," said Ishan. Yet another initiative of the "Revelations" is the opening of the "Revelations Academy of Performing Arts and Creativity." "We have around 20 pupils between the ages of 4-53 years of age, and we give our pupils a rounded education on singing, including knowledge of sight reading, composers, and also to read music.

“We will be starting on drama soon, with Manoj heading that department and we plan to teach dance as well," said Sanjeev.
Tickets will be priced at Rs. 500 and will be available at Autodrome, No 304, Union Place, Colombo 02 (Opposite Pizza Hut) and at The Russian Cultural Centre on the days of the performances.