A festival for peace and harmony
Uplifting: St. Cecilia’s Choir, and below left, Alireza Shahini and right, Shahid Shabaz. Pix by M. A. Pushpa Kumara
Going beyond mere entertainment to promote unity, understanding, and acceptance among individuals from diverse backgrounds, the Sama International Choral Festival, under the auspices of the Muslim Choral Ensemble successfully wrapped up a week-long series of performances, workshops, and discussions which had begun on July 24.
A highlight of the festival was Voices for Peace, an interfaith concert featuring performers and ensembles from around the globe, held at Shangri-La Hotel Colombo on Tuesday, July 25. The Voices for Peace initiative was founded in the wake of the Easter attacks by Haadia Galely, co-founder and executive director of the Muslim Choral Ensemble in collaboration with Shangri-La Hotel Colombo.
The night began with chants from Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, and Islamic faiths in what was a brief prelude to the rest of the evening’s performances.
The first choir to take the stage was from the Manoj Sanjeewa Voice Academy performing ‘Uthum Wadan’ in prayer for the Sacred Tooth Relic, and ‘Gilem Obe Guna Mude’. The harmonious choir was conducted by Manoj Sanjeewa who also serves as vocal coach for the Muslim Choral Ensemble.
Following this was the Munisekar Shiva Dharshan Ensemble which sang devotional songs to three of the Hindu gods; ‘Gananayakaya’ to Lord Ganesha, ‘Maadu Meikkum’ to Lord Krishna, and ‘Bho Shambho’ to Lord Shiva.
The St. Cecilia’s Choir of St Joseph’s College under the guidance of Francis D’Almeida performed an acapella rendition of ‘Nearer My God to Thee’ followed by ‘Devathwe Alokayen’. The choir then sang the well-known hymn ‘How Great Thou Art’, culminating in a cheery performance of ‘Baba Yetu’, a take on the Lord’s Prayer sung in Swahili.
The host choir, the Muslim Choral Ensemble, took to the stage joined by Sufi singer Shahid Shabaz, the winner of The Voice of UAE, and Iranian percussionist Alireza Shahini on the Daf and Tombak. Conducted by co-founder and artistic director Professor Andre de Quadros, the group sang ‘Amanthu Billah’, ‘Qamaroon’, and ended with an uplifting rendition of ‘Ya Hanana’ which featured a crowd-pleasing Tombak solo by Alireza.
Voices 21C, one of two international choirs participating in the festival, trained under the baton of Professor de Quadros, gave the audience a hint of soul with its take on traditional spiritual pieces. First was a work song titled ‘Levee Camp Holler’ sung by slaves which has roots in Islam. The traditional opening was given new life with the addition of Shahid Shabaz who added a contemporary Islamic chant to the piece.
The ensemble next performed ‘Birmingham Sunday’, a song written in the aftermath of the 1960s’ racially motivated bombing of an Alabama church by members of the Ku Klux Klan which resulted in the death of four girls.
Following the sombre song was the traditional African American spiritual ‘Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Round’, an abstract ‘Panda Chant’ by Meredith Monk, and a slower number ‘Bring Me All Your Dreams’. The choir finished its performance with ‘Yonder Come Day’, an evocative spiritual by the Georgia Sea Islands Singers.
The final choral performance of the evening was by the Manado State University Choir from Sulawesi, Indonesia. The choir, also trained and conducted by Professor de Quadros, kicked off their segment with a Maengket, a traditional dance of the Minahasa Tribe from North Sulawesi. Next was the heartfelt ‘Dos Cuerpos (Two Bodies), a poem by Octavio Paz set to music by Julio Morales. Displaying more Indonesian culture, the choir then performed a highly energetic Saman dance, originating from the Gayo ethnic group of the province of Aceh.
Holding the audience captive, the Manado State University Choir then performed a beautiful and emotional arrangement of ‘From a Distance’, the ballad made popular by Bette Midler. This was followed by Robert Delgado’s arrangement of the Prayer of St Francis which tied in perfectly with the theme of the concert and the overall festival. The choir finished with ‘Kerraban Sape’, a rousing traditional Indonesian tune describing a bull race.
After the choral performances, the audience was treated to a performance by Nabeel Khan, an eighth-generation Sarangi player from India joined by Indian violinist Jerusha Daryl and Alireza Shahini on Daf.
The concert closen on a high with all performers taking the stage to sing ‘Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram’ in a testament to the universal power of the language of music which is one of the key themes of the festival.
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