Tis- The Season Of Carols

by YULETTE COUTINHO
Posted on 2008-12-25
It was a night of Carols with symphonic voices heralding the joy of the season at Kala Academy on December 11 which brought together a repertoire of Artists and Chorale Groups at “O Holy Night” a festival of Carols presented by Namah in association with Reira Eco Ventures and Radio Indigo 91.9 fm.The Christmas feeling was in the air with the cool winter breeze blowing, the very Xmasy décor in the auditorium and what completed the picture was the Christmas Carols being sung by the melodious voices in soprano, alto, tenor and bass that spelt the divine essence of Christmas.
The proceeds of the show were going towards the construction of a primary school “Little Flower of Jesus” for the economically backward children in Calangute. The event was managed by Chapter 13 Events, with Aguada Anchorage Resort as hospitality partners, HCN – Channel Partners, Media Partners – Goa Times and was sponsored by de Souza Group, Vila Goesa, Ronil Resort and Costa River Transport Pvt- Ltd.
The Evening had performances by the Namah Chorale Ensemble directed and conducted by Christo Fernandes, George and his Jazz trio, the Band Alcatrazz, International Pianist from Russia – Natasha Kapylova, Braz Gonsalves on the Saxophone with Domnic Pereira on the Keyboard, Mirutiyalaya Dance Academy and the Don Bosco HSS Choir trained by Fr Paul D’Souza.
Christo Fernandes the conductor of Namah, said different genres of music played together so as to give a Christmas feeling all on one platform. A fusion of a pop band alongside a choir will produce carols in an exciting sequence he said. The dance school put up a unique dance, which really surprised the audience as it spelt the message of peace through dance with music developed by L Subramaniam that showcases the need for interreligious dialogue in the present scenario.
The choir comprising of 35 members use the ‘acappela method’ which means singing without any instruments. “Namah” is a registered society working towards the development of music in Goa, for the first time, the ‘Namah Chorale Ensemble’ in association with the Directorate of Art & Culture, Goa represented the state at Mumbai at the National Centre of Performing Arts for the prestigious Christmas festival organized by the ‘Stop Gaps Cultural Academy’. Never before in the last 24 years of this event being held had a Goan Choir been invited and this choir certainly did Goa proud, driven by the passion to perform, these committed and dedicated individuals put in hours of effort, coming from different backgrounds, age groups and places.
The Don Bosco Choir also performed for the first time in the acapella method and also had voices in Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass. The highlight of the evening was the synching of the two Choral Groups and the Band Alcatrazz on stage with voices and music in true Christmas Spirit. (pics: Yulette Coutinho)