A choir for all seasons

Delhi’s premier performance choir, Capital City Minstrels (CCM) marked three decades of its existence in December with a concert, “Echoes of Alleluia”, featuring 30 years of celebratory music from their diverse catalog . It was attended by many ex-operators and alumni of the group from different parts of India and the world.

In 1994, a group of a dozen singers, led by Zohra Shaw, began meeting informally over tea and breakfast, practicing Christmas repertoire. Today, the group has about 70 singers ranging in age from 16 to 89, from diverse fields such as medicine, law, music, diplomacy, social development as well as students. Each of them do this part-time work because of their love for music.

Zohra founded and ran the group until 2000, after which the choir has been led by various conductors from around the world. Over the past three decades, this international secular group has performed for music lovers in Delhi and various parts of India and abroad in concert halls, festivals, churches, monuments, government functions, embassies, educational institutions and even two-person festivals. Have done more than 400 shows for. Former President of India.

Currently, the choir is under the control of international Yamaha artist Nise Meruno, who joined the choir as a singer 20 years ago and later became a pianist. “What sets us apart from others is that our choir is open to growth; That is why we present many different types of music and have also been able to attract many young singers over the years,” he says.

The choir’s music covers a wide repertoire – from early choral music to Western classical music, gospel, opera, ballads, jazz, folk songs, Broadway tunes, rock, pop, jazz, film soundtracks, as well as choral arrangements throughout the Till the spectrum. Indian music. It has presented music in more than 20 languages ​​so far.

In the past, CCM has collaborated with international singers, such as Le Beau Soleil from Switzerland, Mixed Voices from Germany, Yale Schola Cantorum and Juilliard415. In addition, the choir has undertaken three European tours, most recently in June 2018 to Edinburgh, Belfast and London.

CCM Concert | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Pallav Banerjee and his wife, Nisha Sachdeva, are both clinical psychologists and psychiatrists. He joined the choir about a year and a half ago when Sachdeva met with an accident due to which he had to stop his Bharatnatyam practice. “Having an interest in music and looking for a creative outlet to relieve the stress of work, we decided to audition for the Capital City Minstrels,” says Bonnerjee. After this, the couple went to Delhi to attend three concerts of the choir.

Like Bonnerjee, many of the group’s members have no formal training in music, and are admitted through an audition process. Annie Sinha is a retired social development professional in her mid-60s. Previously the chairperson of CCM, she has been with the group for the last 16 years. “It’s been a great journey, with many fun moments along the way. We are a well-connected group, and our rehearsals always start at tea time, for which we even have a food committee,” she says, laughing.

The choir is divided into four sections based on one’s voice type – alto, soprano, tenor and bass. Typically, they organize two annual shows in Delhi – a summer concert in May, and a winter concert in December. From time to time, the choir also participates in workshops with musicians as well as outreach programs where it performs for underprivileged children.

CCM Choir | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement