Conducting a choir in India!

Today started off with me making plans to return to my temple searches.  Instead, I received a phone call from Randy to come over and visit with some friends who were at his place from the US!  I went there to be introduced to Randy's cousin Carol and her friends Jane and Amy who are all from Oregon! (Estacada and Sandy to be exact).  They were accompanied by another friend from Seattle (Teri) and they were all great fun to be with.  They had been traveling in India and Nepal for the past several weeks and had a great many interesting stories to tell.  It was fun to be with them.  In spite of the rain that has set in (it IS the rainy season after all...) we were undaunted and set out for the Theosophical Society grounds.  Chennai is now the world headquarters for the Society which was founded in 1875 in New York as a means to study mediumistic phenomena.  Later, its mission was expanded to include philosophy, the brotherhood of mankind, comparative religions (especially eastern ones) and our relationship to nature. 

The grounds in Chennai feature both Hindu and Buddhist temples as well as a large library and  native plantings.  It also has a single Banyan tree that is said to cover an area as large as a football field! (It did by the way).  There were also butterflies, birds of all types (including parrots) and many species of flowers.  In the wet climate however, there were also mosquitoes and we were being eaten alive!  So we hopped in the cars and went a bit further to the free animal clinic where veterinarians treat animals of all types for free, only charging the owners for medicine.  India has many animals as pets and also millions of feral dogs and cats which roam the streets.  Any animal (including cattle, sheep, goats, and everything else) is lovingly cared for here, feral or not.  Quite a noble mission.  

After that, we went to a fabric store where the ladies tried on various types of garments.  Randy also tried on (and purchased) a long shirt (which comes to the knees).  The shop had fabrics of every conceivable color and it is small wonder that the world over has always come to the east for cloth of various types.  It was simply fun to be in there and I enjoyed the fashion show.  The fabric store was followed by coffee/dinner at a fabulous hotel were the ladies were staying, the Taj Connemara, where we enjoyed some food and conversation in the lap of luxury.  I bid the party farewell as Jane, Amy and Teri were heading back to the US that evening.  I was being picked up by a driver and taken to a rehearsal of the Chennai Choral Association!

I was met at the venue by Augustine Paul, a choral director and music teacher who is the current conductor.  He is a kind and gracious man and I enjoyed meeting the group members and listening to them work through their repertoire.  They were starting the rehearsal with their contemporary group of songs which included selections by Duke Ellington, Elton John and Andrew Lloyd Webber and it was their first rehearsal with the band that was accompanying them.  It was fun to watch them work through the repertoire and I have no doubt they will be ready when by the time of their concert in a few weeks!  The closed the set with Bohemian Rhapsody!  I loved it!

After the break, they worked on more traditional western choral music.  This is rare for an eastern group to do and Augustine has excellent taste.  They worked on pieces by Mendelssohn, Hubert Parry, Haydn, Mozart and Rutter.  They will also do some Brahms "Neue Liebeslieder Waltes" on their concert with dancers!  I was introduced and gracious accepted by the members as we worked on some selections by William Byrd.  The singers have lovely voices and I enjoyed working with them on repertoire that I love.   After the rehearsal, I had the pleasure of meeting the singers and talking with them.  They are delightful and gracious people!

Augustine informed me that my ride home was leaving, so I got in the car with four young ladies from the choir who were an absolute hoot to be with.  The car was driven by Tanvi who was a soloist that evening and who has done a great deal of voice work for the film industry in Chennai. She made sure I had my seat belt on and I am glad.  I learned that Chennai alone averages five traffic deaths per DAY!  I believe it.    Tanvi had been to America and we had a chance to compare our various musical experiences when the subject turned to cinemusic or film music.  The popular music in India is the music associated with the film industry.  It is ephemeral and does not last.  The latest film is the latest fad.  People line up by the THOUSANDS to see the latest film which always includes roughly seven song and dance numbers (which , in turn become the latest hits).  I learned that in addition to Bollywood (which is the name assigned to films from the north of India, there is Kollywood (films from the south).  Movies are sometimes in Tamil (south) or Hindu (north) and there are literally HUNDREDS of the films being released each year.   The good ones stick.  People idolize the stars.  Kids cut out their images and paste them in textbooks.  People also worship them like Hindu idols making poojah for them (using coconuts, etc.)  I think it is safe to say that some things are the same between east and west and adoration of stars (even though we all admit it is silly) seems to be healthy and alive in both countries!  They have provided me with a list of films to see if you are interested!