Bangalore: Making 'Glorious' Music to the Lord
by Melisha Noronha
for Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore (GA)
Bangalore: In Psalm 66:1, King David sings "Make a joyful noise to God all the earth, fill the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!"
Surrendering to a song must surely be the most edifying of the earth's few exhausted moments. It elevates both the singer and the listener to spheres untouched by man and leaves both with an exhilarating foretaste of what lies beyond.
Sixteen glorious years have passed and they still continue to move hearts and touch lives with music. When it comes to the choral scene in Bangalore, Glorious definitely stands out as one of the best.
Founded and nurtured by Esther and Regi Chandy in 1989, when choral music was half-heartedly rehearsing its swan song, Glorious embarked on a mission to resurrect harmony from the embers of indifference.
At a time when music channels reigned in the minds of young people, it was just a handful that stepped on the path less trod and pledged commitment to a structured choir system with its accompanying practices and performances.
Glorious had a humble beginning amongst all this with a small group of 13 talented blessed singers. And today it has grown to a group of 60 dynamic, committed and soulful singers.
With the mission to spread the message of love, unity and hope, the choir has surpassed various boundaries to become a trans-dimensional choir.
At Glorious, the belief has always been that harmony of voices can only be achieved through the unity of minds. The Glorious prayer has been to spread the message of harmony, so that it can reach out and help this disillusioned world crying in discord.
The choir, which draws inspiration from Psalm 66, started off with a number of secular songs that continued till about seven years ago.
Glorious walked through troubled waters when it lost three of its members and five other members' families were in despair. This was when Regi and his team decided that they had a different calling.
And slowly praising the Lord for his abundant blessings brought the group closer and since then there was no looking back.
Glorious music runs the range from Rock 'n' roll to Reggae, Rap to Raga, Country Gospel to contemporary and semi Classical, Foxtrot to Black gospel, Negro-spirituals to praise and worship – all knit together to acknowledge a forgiven path, a peaceful presence and a promise of hope for tomorrow.
Regi believes and encourages young people to utilize the gift of harmony singing, which he said, is a gift given by God. The members found in the age group of 15 to 35 and have the Lord as their master and friend.
An undying passion to music and an ever-growing love for the Lord brings the choir together each Sunday for 3 hours, which is why Glorious never has auditions.
In the words of Regi, "You need not have an exceptional voice to be part of the choir. Anyone who can either speak or sing is welcome. The prerequisite is commitment."
Glorious is the platform for brining together talents to praise God and some of the best soloists of Bangalore belong here.
Rahael Mathew, Miracle Ward, Thara Mathew, Jerusha, Mark are some of the main soloists who can melodiously stir your soul while the young band of instrumentalists of Glorious deliver music that moves the heart and the feet alike.
Every year the choir hosts some events for music lovers. A festival of Songs and Solos is a five-hour programme showcasing Bangalore's most popular soloists. A two-day Easter musical and a music camp for all ages is also one of the works of Glorious.
Apart from these there are also the Glorious Gospel Music Awards, an Interschool Gospel Music competition and a two-day Winter Christmas concert.
But the greatest of all events is the Glorious Festival of Harmony, a two-three day festival featuring some of the best choral groups from across India participating from schools, colleges, youth groups, bands, independent groups and choirs and presenting various styles of music, bringing together on the same stage a symphony of excellence.
This year too Bangaloreans witnessed the mellifluous notes with the 16th Glorious Festival of Harmony held at the Ambedkar Bhavan on August 18 and 19, 2007. The festival was musical best with outstation groups and schools and colleges from across Bangalore, all participating in a unique event that included over 1,000 participants and several genres of harmony music. It was a platform for all age groups ranging from 4 to 72.
Harmonics Complicated, a male quartet from Chennai and a group of acapella specialists from Christian Medical College, Vellore were the outstation groups participating in the festival. Some of the other participant choirs included those from Bangalore schools such Bishop Cotton Girls' High School, Mallya Aditi International School, Vibgyor High School, Ryan International School while the college entrees included Jyoti Nivas College, Mount Carmel College, St Joseph's College of Arts and Science, Christ College, NLSIU, UTC and SAIACS. Indiranagar Methodist Church, Bangalore Mar Thoma Chorale and East Parade Church were be part of the church representation from Bangalore. But what captured the emotions of all were the children who rendered heart-warming choral music. The 16th festival was nothing short of a glorious entertainment.
Glorious has a greater vision and mission. Regi along with a few others, later this year plans to set up a Gospel Art Village which he fondly calls, the Promised Land. Sixty kilometers from Bangalore near Nandi Hills, this centre aims at nurturing art in all forms. Short-term and long-term courses in painting, music, dance and so on are on the agenda.
Once you have heard Glorious weave for you strings of melodious music you will be convinced that harmony is timeless and without genre, weaving its subtle spirit through the ages, moulding itself to the music of the day to live on endlessly in the hearts of listeners. And today glorious has been able to prove that harmony runs in our very souls.
Giving renaissance the choral scene in Bangalore, life has been changed and families have been reunited by the moving hand of harmony as endorsed by glorious.
Hope to the hopeless, unconditional love to the hurting, renewed faith to the lost; this has been the story of Glorious through the years.