Bridging the void between choral music and theatre
When the Old Joes Choir takes to the stage next weekend they’ll be stepping into the shoes of other men and other lives. The ensemble of 25 old Josephians are well known for their slick choral ensembles and theatre-heavy productions. This one is no different; ‘Open Mic’, their newest venture, is an attempt to bridge the void between choral music and theatre through story telling using music.
With this show, the gentlemen of the Old Joes Choir are taking on something that they say has never been done on a local stage before. The setting is an ‘Open Mic Night’ at a cafe.
The most loyal of patrons are all present and expectant, warming up their vocal chords in expectation of a memorable night. It’s more of a personal thing as the songs will in turn take the audience down the paths of each of these patrons ‐ their youth, their hopes and expectations, and perhaps their naivety.
The songs will then evolve into a more mature tone as the characters develop, reflecting a more jaded view of life. During the course of the night, they realise that the present and the future is what they make it to be and if they want change then it’s up to them to make that change.
“It’s an interesting theme,” says Shiran Cooray, leader of the choir along with Gehan Gunatilake. “We feel like it’s something the audience will relate to.” The music will be a fusion of choral, rock and pop music, he explains. They’ll be taking on popular numbers originally meant for soloists and bands and converting them into rich choral pieces, which is another thing the choir has gained a reputation for.
As an all-male choir the boys are restricted to tenor and bass, but they’re surprisingly versatile as anyone who has seen them on stage would know. Formed in 1997, the Old Joes Choir has since evolved into an outfit specialising in choral, classical and contemporary music. Their first maiden concert was staged in 1999 and since then they’ve been behind a series of productions including Evolution (2002), Evolution II (2005), Evolution III (2007), Timeless Echoes (2008) and Amore (2010).
The music for this show was personally chosen by the choir’s choral directors whose job it is to assess the ‘choral viability’ of a song. Geethika Cooray, one of the four choral directors in the choir, explains the technicalities behind this- “For example ‘I’m Yours’ by Jason Mraz is a solo number. It’s not meant to be sung by a group so we need to figure out if we can change it up to fit an entire choir.” You’ll hear a cross section of these chorally in-tune hits at the show… Billy Joel, Cold Play, Il Divo, Michael Jackson, Beach Boys, Boys2Men, Fun and even Queen-they’re all part of the set list. So head over to the Lionel Wendt next weekend if you’re feeling nostalgic . ‘Open Mic’ will take place on June 21 and 22 from 7.30 p.m. onwards. Tickets priced at Rs.1,500, 1,000, 750 and 500 (balcony) are available at the venue.
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