A jolly band of boys tumbled out of the coach and entered the cool interior of the Hilton hotel, proceeding to drink a fruit juice and unwind after a long ride from Galle. The Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir was back in Colombo. The Sunday Times met with the choristers whose tour to Sri Lanka included performances in Galle, Colombo and Kandy.
The Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir which was founded in 1924 has been performing in recent years a repertoire blending ancient, classical and modern. The choir was able to add the title ‘Royal Chapel’ in 1998 with the approval of Queen Magrethe the Second. This enabled it to perform at special occasions and tours as well as accompany the Royal Danish Court.
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| Quenching their thirst: The boys from Copenhagen at the Hilton last Monday. Pix by Sanka Vidanagama |
“This is the first time that the choir is visiting Sri Lanka,” says Ebbe Munk, chief conductor of the Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir and choirmaster of the Copenhagen Cathedral since 1991.He explained that they sing both spiritual and secular songs which include those mainly composed by legendary composers such as Schumann, Mendelssohn, and Chopin along with Scandinavian songs and ballads.
The choir has developed into a full time institution where the boys receive their general education together with a full music and vocal training in Sankt Annae Gymnasium, the Copenhagen Municipal Boys Choir School.
The boys usually enter this school at the age of nine and continue till they are around 19 years of age. They join the concert choir after two years of training. After completing their schooling the boys go on to university to pursue their higher studies.
“Some continue with the male voices while others go into various other fields apart from music,” says Mr. Munk adding with a smile that “however their love for music continues.”
Mr. Munk himself was part of the choir as a little boy and after completing his higher studies in the field of music and conducting, has returned to be its chief conductor. He has been touring with the Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir in various parts of the world at leading international festivals, concert halls and cathedrals, including prominent venues such as the Sydney Opera House, Cathedral Notre Dame (Paris) and Washington National Cathedral.
Though the school curriculum mainly centres on music, the school has managed to hold its own in other subjects as well. The students are not only brilliant singers but also have excellent grades to their credit. The school work is flexible and the boys manage their studies alongside their numerous performances and practices.
“They learn concentration and discipline through their singing and music training which helps them in anything they do,” says Mr Munk. The boys have to learn certain European languages such as English, French and German apart from Danish as they sing in these languages as well.
The visiting choir consisted of 30 boys and 14 choristers from the men’s choir, though back home in Denmark there are approximately 100 boys and 35 choristers from the men’s choir. Depending on their convenience, different groups of choristers travel on different tours. The choir recently toured China and Norway and will travel on to India after their Sri Lankan tour.
Fourteen-year-old Malthe Isaksen has been part of the concert choir for the past two years following three years prior training. He enjoys being part of the choir but admits that the long hours of practice and numerous performances can be stressful too. However, he loves travelling.
“My family is always there for my support,” he smiles adding that the backing from family is vital to them as performers. He loves Sri Lanka, and the friendly people and the tropical climate have captured his heart. “Sri Lanka is exotic and exciting. We saw a monkey in Galle!” he adds excitedly, remarking that “it is one of the nicest countries I have been to.”
Malthe is proficient in German and English and can also play the triangle. “I get a bit nervous when I play the triangle,” he says adding that however it was not altogether a bad thing to be nervous as it prevents him from being over confident.
“This is the first time I am travelling out of Denmark,” says Danyel Cakmak, aged 13. He has also been part of the choir for some time and is looking forward to seeing other cultures and learning from the experience. “It is pretty cool.” He too emphasized that the support he got from his family was very important.
“Sri Lankans are very hospitable,” says Kristian Stromsted Berg delighted with his visit. He has been in the choir for the past one and half years and toured Norway and Thailand with the choir last year. He said that Mathematics, English, Danish, and even cooking were among the various subjects they learn at school.
Commenting about the weather here he said, “Though it is quite hot we are used to it now.”“I play the guitar and I hope to be a musician one day,” enthused 13-year-old Leo Mortenson. He joined the choir when he was eight and recalls that they had to practise very hard in the third, fourth and fifth grades before joining the concert choir officially in the 6th grade.
“We have singing classes Tuesdays and Thursdays and the good thing is we don’t get home work,” he quips like any teenager would. Sharing some of his plans he went on to say that he would like to join the men’s choir one day. |
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