Hitting High Notes: 10 choirs to vie for title in ‘First Nagaland Choir Olympics’

Harmonic Voices, the winner from Kohima District and one of the competing Choirs at the 'First Naga Choir Olympics' to be held on October 23. (Photo Courtesy: Harmonic Voices Nagaland/Facebook)

 

Morung Express News

Dimapur | October 5

 

The coming October 23 is guaranteed to be a night of haunting and soulful melodies as the ‘best’ choirs from 10 districts in Nagaland come together to compete for the title in the ‘First Nagaland Choir Olympics.’

The ‘Grand Finale,’ scheduled on October 23 at the Regional Centre of Excellence for Music & Performing Arts (RCEMPA), Jotsoma in Kohima promised to a glorious night  of enchanting music with choirs present their repertoire with widest vocal ranges and synchronisation. 

 

Both notated Western classical/hymnal as well as folk-fusion music is expected to enthral the audience at the grand finale.  

The 10 choirs are the winners in respective district auditions held across 10 locations on September 27. 

Task Force for Music & Arts (TaFMA), rebranded from Music Task Force (MTF) this year, is organising the Choir Olympics to ‘encourage choral music in the State.’ It will be presented by Musician Guilds. 

In reply to a query from The Morung Express, TaFMA stated that the “primary objective is to further encourage and promote this culture in a professional manner... and to enable our choirs to participate at world level choir competitions.”

“Choral music is so much part of our DNA and Christian heritage right from Childhood,” it further noted. 

TaFMa is tasked to encourage Naga musicians to take up music as a profession rather than a hobby and also promote music and art related activities in the state.

Earlier, TaFMA Advisor adviser Theja Meru had told the media that the Olympics was being organised to encourage choral music in the state and informed that choir groups with 16 to 20 members would be allowed to participate in the competition.

More auditions would take place after the finale to select a choir group to represent Nagaland at the 11th World Choir Games to be held in Belgium from July 5 to 15, 2020, he added. The initiative is part of TaFMA’s conscious effort to promote local talent.  

Meanwhile, taking to Twitter on October 5 and announcing the names of 10 competing choirs at the Olympics, Nagaland Chief Minister stated that “music, in different genres, is an integral part of the life of Nagas” and extended his best wishes to all the participants and the organisers. 

“Music, in different genres, is an integral part of the life of Nagas. The "First Nagaland Choir Olympics" will be held on Oct' 23, 2019,” he tweeted.