The members of the Bahar family have sung together for as long as they can remember; but on September 18 when Ishan, Ricky and Shyanne perform in The Three Generations, they will be singing for a cause- to help fund Ricky Bahar’s training in Los Angeles with the coach of over 120 Grammy Award winners.
Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Barbara Streisand, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Natalie Cole, Michael Bolton, and Josh Groban and Andrea Bocelli have one thing in common: they were all trained by renowned vocal coach Seth Riggs.
Naturally, one of Ricky Bahar’s biggest dreams was to be trained by Riggs, the coach of over 120 Grammy Award winners; and little did Ricky know that a casual conversation with his manager Hadia Galely at the end of a concert, would lead to the realization of this dream.
“I remember talking about it to Hadia, without ever imagining that anything would come out of it,” recalls Ricky. “Not too long after that, I got a call from her saying that she had managed to get through to him; and that I would have to send him some of my work for an evaluation.”
Considered by many as the world’s busiest vocal trainer, Seth Riggs had just returned from a concert with Andrea Bocelli, and for once, had time to pick up his phone when Hadia Galely made her late night call in consideration of the time difference.
“I was able to give Ricky a half hour studio time,” comments Seth Riggs, “which was adequate for me to assess his vocal capability and to confirm that he has enormous potential to further his career, which would be worth pursuing under my guidance. I am willing to take Ricky under my wing to further his vocal talent and assist this young man, to help him realize his ‘dreams’.”
The fact that they will be singing together for a purpose, makes this already personal experience of a family concert, all the more special to the Bahar family.
“I am thrilled, and really excited about the show and about seeing my father fulfilling his dream,” emphasizes 17 year old Shyanne. “The first time I sang at a concert was with my grandfather (Ishan Bahar) and since then, music has been a very significant part of my life.
Having sung and played the piano since she was just six years old, Shyanne’s passion for music has led her to take up recording engineering as well, under the guidance of Ranga Dassanayake , lecturer at the University of Visual and Performing Arts, Colombo. She has also written and composed ten of her own songs, some of which she will perform at the concert.
“The idea of a three generation concert is one we have contemplated for around ten years now,” says Ishan. “I am very much a family person and I believe that families are a gift from God; and whatever happens, as long as the family is together, that’s all that matters. We’ve always been close; very open and honest with each other.”
“Even though the schedule of rehearsals can be hectic, we never stop having fun,” adds Shyanne. “So it doesn’t feel simply like a practice but fun time spent together, hanging out and doing what we enjoy doing.”
Guest artistes at the show are two leading choirs VoicePrint and the Revelations. Triloka, led by Eshantha Peiris will provide the musical backing for the show.
“I am very grateful for all the support given to me my the guest performers and to Mariazelle Goonetilleke who will be assisting us with background vocals,” says Ricky. “I would also like to thank my friend Shobi Perera who will be the Sound engineer for the show, Mario, Sohan Weerasinghe, Jerry Jayasinghe, Mohammmed Hussein, Kusum Deen, Roshika Jayawardene, Sunil Shamdasani and Hadia Galely for all the effort put in and the encouragement they have given us.”
The Sunday Times is the show’s Print Media sponsor. Tickets for the show priced at 2,500, 2,000, 1,500 and 1,000 are available at The Water’s Edge Guest Relations Desk (Tel: 2863863) or the Park Street Mews (Tel: 2300133). The show begins at 7 pm. |
E-mail
