Arts
From camaraderie to Camerati
Camerati: Moving on in song. Pic by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
A Camerati rehearsal is a lively affair -there’s laughter and merriment among the group. The rehearsals almost look like a group of friends singing together, such is the camaraderie. However, make no mistake, there is intense concentration as everyone focuses on getting the pitch just right.
A group of Merry An singers, they enjoyed spending time with each other and naturally gravitated towards singing together. Soon came the decision to form a group – Camerati comprises Kumudini David, Sherene Vas, Inakshi Sirimanne, Ayushka Nugaliyadda, Yanitra Kumaraguru, Mihara Jayalath, Priyadarshini De Mel, Melissa Pereira, Neomi Muthkuda, Melani Bibile and Anushiya Bastiampillai, all excited about presenting their first concert.
Their concert ‘Make a Joyful Noise’, is being held in preparation for the 1st Lanna International Choir Competition in Thailand. “We’re using the concert as a platform to give ourselves the exposure of performing for an audience,” says Kumudini David who conducts the group. ‘Make a Joyful Noise’ will feature the songs they will sing at the competition, and guest performances by Ruwanka Leanage, Sanchitha Wickremesooriya, Kamishka Morais, Chanuka Piyarisi, Eshan Thilakasena, Rehan Almeida and Dilhan de Silva.
“For the choir games, everything has to go exactly to the T” says Kumudini, adding that the three judges will be looking at different aspects of their performance – one will look only at the music, one will listen only to the sound while the third looks at presentation. For Camerati, this means that they would need to look at each aspect individually and perfect it. The concert is a less formal, much friendlier performance and will feature classical, barbershop, gospel and pop music.
Most newly formed groups need to worry about the dynamics of their group, but this is something Camerati certainly doesn’t have to be concerned with. The members say that they have been performing together as Merry An singers for over a decade. Having sung as a group at product launches and other events has also helped them gain confidence and experience before these two important events. The concert however, is definitely special. “The ownership is there – this is more personal and intimate,” says Inakshi de Silva.
The 1st Lanna International Choir Competition has five categories, of which Camerati will take part in two. One of the categories, ‘difficulty level one’ (the hardest of the two levels of difficulty) will see the group sing a song from a composer of the same culture as them, a song that isn’t of the same culture, a song from a contemporary composer and a song of their choice. The other category will be the gospel and spiritual round. They will also be taking part in non-competitive friendship concerts with other choirs as a part of the Choir Games. “We don’t really know whom we’re up against but we’re sure that there will be fierce competition because Asians are very competitive,” says Inakshi.
A challenge for the group is the fact that they are not full time singers. “In other countries, choir is a way of life. It’s an actual art form which people decide to study and take as a path. For Sri Lankan singers it’s a hobby or extracurricular activity,” says Kumudini. Each member must balance their careers and families along with their music. Some of the members are married and have children, making it tougher to find the time to practise. However, the group is convinced that their passion will overcome the many obstacles they must face and are therefore looking forward to the challenge. They are also grateful to everyone who has supported them in this venture, which includes Mary Anne David, Joshua Asokan and Roshani Abbey.
‘Make a Joyful Noise’ will be held at the Russian Cultural Centre on September 30 and October 1 at 7.30 p.m. Tickets priced at Rs. 1000 will be available at Kadapatha, Crescat and the Yamaha Music Centre.