Members of the Delhi Chamber Choir during a performance at the NCPA in Mumbai. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Fact 1: Choir singers keep a smile on their faces to make their singing not sound monotonous.
Fact 2: Singers harmonize not only their voices but also their heartbeats.
This is evident when you watch choral conductor Nadezhda (Nadya) Baliyan in action during a performance by the Delhi Chamber Choir (DCC). Trying to extract the best sound from a group of more than 20 Indian singers seated in a semicircle, their backs straight, their hearts beating in unison and eyes fixed on Nadezhda, she instructs, “Stay still. Breathe in, breathe out. Close your ears and sing. Control your tone. Use your head voice, not your chest voice.”
An alumnus of the Moscow State University of Art and Culture, Nadezhda runs the Piano Forte School of Music and Art in New Delhi. She also directs the Delhi Chamber Choir as the chief conductor for Western classical music.
She came to India in 2007 and has conducted over 500 choirs in Russia and India. She has a bachelor’s degree in piano and choir conducting from the Tula Music College and a master’s degree in music theory from the Moscow State University of Arts and Culture. Nadezhda says she cannot imagine life without music. “When I was a year old, I would go to the piano and play a tune, and my grandfather would say, ‘Oh, she will become a composer one day.’ I first became a pianist. Later I decided to become a conductor. I trained in music theory as well as singing.”
Nadezhda feels that conducting concerts is attractive because it unites performers; a conductor sets the pace, shapes the collective sound of the group, and manages the interpretation and tempo of the music. She adds, “The best thing about conducting is that you can teach and choose the repertoire.I get to spend hours researching and listening to great music in order to pick out my favourite pieces and perform them in front of the choir.”
Nadezhda has developed a rare blend in her repertoire, combining Western music with Hindustani ragas; the latest popular raga being Desh. For those who don’t know, Desh has been the basis for iconic patriotic compositions, with ‘Vande Mataram’ being the most recognisable. “Now is the time when all barriers are being broken and styles, genres and languages are being mixed. The new choir musicians are coming up with some amazing compositions in collaboration with Indian musicians,” says Nadezhda.
Nadezhda conducts or composes for the acapella form of choir. Acapella is a form of singing that does not use any instruments, making it the most difficult form of choir music. “You need your hearing to be clear and strong, and your voice to be strong and steady enough to control the pitch. If you cannot hold your breath properly, your pitch will fail you. So believe me when I say, people who sing acapella music are extremely hardworking.”
Nadezhda’s school initially had a lot of foreigners singing in the choir, but over time, many Indians joined in as well. “Choir singing as a concept is yet to find its feet in India. The journey has been slow. DCC also took a long time to become popular. We usually tell the audience what we are performing, who the composer is and why the music is like that.”
Nadezhda (Nadya) Balyan during a workshop. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
He believes Indians are extremely talented. “They have a great interest in music and their voices are amazing. The voice base of people from Tamil Nadu and Kerala is amazing.”
Nadezhda has come to Mumbai with her troupe for her show. She feels Mumbai is more open to western music than Delhi. She feels that after Mumbai, Bengaluru is the best city for acapella.
Nadezhda also praises Chennai’s musicians. ‘Singer-composer Kalyani Nair is excellent. Along with Western classical music, she is also familiar with Hindustani music. I think Chennai is lucky to have so many good musicians in the conservatory too. And AR Rahman and L Subramaniam have given the world such wonderful compositions.’
Like most creative ventures, choirs too face a funding crunch, and this is one of the reasons Nadezhda is not able to perform in other Indian cities. “We don’t make enough money to pay our singers and book the venue.” She hopes that the fusion concerts will eventually tip the balance in her favour.
Nadezhda is constantly working to revive the singing. ‘We conduct workshops for new entrants. We are also planning to take our performances to the South soon; hopefully our next destination will be Bengaluru and Chennai.’
