For a choir comprising 54 very different individuals, September seems to have been an interesting and challenging month.
And not only does this group take choral music and perfect it, but also take it a few steps further giving traditional choral music a contemporary feel as well as trying out songs which are not usually conceived as choral music.
Considering their reputation and success so far, it should come as no surprise that the two choirs mentioned here are none other than Choro Benedicte and Contempo, otherwise known as the past choristers of St. Benedict’s College and St. Bridget’s Convent. This week, The Sunday Times gives you a glimpse of the two choirs that have worked towards making September a musical experience the audience is not likely to forget.
Starting off as a small group with a few select voices, The Old Bens Chorale was established by Old Ben Robert Joseph. “At the time I joined, the choir was trained by Francis Almeida and back then we had more of the senior generations and a few of the younger generation,” recalls Krishan Rodrigo- the director of Choro Benedicte and director of September.
“We still have three pioneer members and five members of the initial Choro Benedicte. The rest of the 27 are youngsters. The values and traditions that were practiced before by the previous Chorus Directors are still maintained.” Described by Krishan as a group of individuals who share the same passion - music- and have an unconditional loyalty to their Alma Mater, Choro Benedicte started out as a group which specialized in Latin Church music. “Right now,” says Krishan, “versatility is the key. We perform most types of music from around the world and that is what is different about us!”
Owing his success so far to his mentor Ravien George, Krishan was “plunged into the deep end,” given the responsibility of training the school choir. “Working towards helping a choir reach greater heights makes all the hard work and commitment more than worth it. And if you have the right attitude, training a dynamic group of singers is a lot of fun!”
Once describing themselves as being “decades apart but young at heart,” the past Bridgeteens who form Contempo are relatively new group compared to Choro Benedicte. A performance at Story Tunes (2001) by the school choir led to a small group of die-hard Bridgeteens deciding to form a choir which has now grown into a large group of committed and fun-loving singers reliving their school days and putting a great deal of hard work in the process.
Directed by Eshantha Peiris who is also a co-director of September, Contempo looks forward to this concert as their first feature show, having made many successful guest appearances in Evolution and Saints Renaissance 2. Says Nadeeka Perera the leader of Contempo, “I feel that these past performances have really helped us grow as a choir, giving us the confidence to finally do a show of this magnitude. Most of us were trained by the late Ms. Ruwani Seimon and that has definitely had an impact on how we perform even out of school.” Driven by challenge and directed by a somewhat unorthodox director, Contempo is determined to go places, practicing even when there is no show coming up.
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We’ve all grown together as a group and somehow, even the newest member becomes part of the family. Actually a lot of the members sing with different choirs and still they all find the time to commit to this choir. I guess we all have the same love for our school and maybe we can’t let go of that musical background. It’s a passion,” smiles Nadeeka.
September will take place on September 26 and 27 at 7pm at the Lionel Wendt, and the two choirs will be joined by the choirs of St. Benedict’s College and St. Bridget’s Convent. Tickets for the show which will take place on are priced at Rs. 1500/-, 1000/-, 750/-, 500/- and 300/- and are available and selling fast at Mabroc Trades and the Park Street Mews. For more details call 0602084649 (Mabroc Trades), and 2300133 (Park Street Mews).
Most of us were trained by the late Ms. Ruwani Seimon and that has definitely had an impact on how we perform even out of school.”
Driven by challenge and directed by a somewhat unorthodox director, Contempo is determined to go places, practicing even when there is no show coming up. “We’ve all grown together as a group and somehow, even the newest member becomes part of the family. Actually a lot of the members sing with different choirs and still they all find the time to commit to this choir. I guess we all have the same love for our school and maybe we can’t let go of that musical background.
It’s a passion,” smiles Nadeeka.
September will take place on September 26 and 27 at 7pm at the Lionel Wendt, and the two choirs will be joined by the choirs of St. Benedict’s College and St. Bridget’s Convent. Tickets for the show which will take place on are priced at Rs. 1500/-, 1000/-, 750/-, 500/- and 300/- and are available and selling fast at Mabroc Trades and the Park Street Mews. For more details call 0602084649 (Mabroc Trades), and 2300133 (Park Street Mews).
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