THE BANGALORE MEN

They are India’s #1 all Male Western Choir Group based out of

Bangalore. They are immensely talented and have won audiences with

their performances in Bangalore, Pondicherry, Goa, Hyderabad and

Mysore. As they look set to up the Music Temperature this summer,

Localturnon sets up a rendezvous to get close to this awesome bunch of

men oops.. Bangalore men that is !

#Localturnon: How did you come up with the idea of forming a western

choir group with Indian Men in a city like Bangalore?

#thebangaloremen: There is a certain sound around all-male choirs, and a lot

of repertoire written especially for male voices. We wanted to showcase this,

and make sure that this unique heritage is carried forward. Until today, there

was no all-male choir in India, doing the repertoire we do, purely western

classical music. Bangalore is a city with a musical heritage, given by institutions

such as The Bangalore School of Music, and also have a lot of talented and

hard-working singers, so for us it was an excellent combo. The Bangalore Men

was formed in January 2016. When we started off, we were 9 members, now

we are 16 guys, all very passionate about the art form we represent! In the short

span the choir has been active, we have performed for enthusiastic and

supporting music lovers in Bangalore, Pondicherry, Goa, Hyderabad and

Mysore.

The name of the gang? Well, we are a male choir from Bangalore –

hence The Bangalore Men seemed very suitable (smiling)

#Localturnon: What makes The Bangalore Men unique?

#thebangaloremen: For starters we are one of its kind in this part of the world

with an all-male ensemble. We focus only on Western classical music,

ranging from late 1200s to, until now, early 1900s. The music we do,

should be appealing to the audience, but also pose a challenge and learning

opportunity for the choir singer. Well, we are inspired by various musicians, and

our style ideal come from the male choirs found in Scandinavia and England,

with a pure yet powerful sound, combined with a lot of focus on interpretation.

Some inspirations are The King’s Singers, Orphei Drängar and The Tallis

Scholars, all well-established male choirs with an excellent clarity of sound. A

great source of inspiration is of course internet, to find repertoire, to listen to

other choirs and to generally discover and explore more and more about the

human voice and what we can do with it if used in the right way!

#Localturnon: Tell us something about the Selection of these Unique

Men.

#thebangaloremen: They have all been chosen very carefully and for their

talent. All our singers have to audition prior to becoming part of the

group, and everyone is expected to have basic music theory

knowledge, a good instrument and be willing to dedicate time and

energy for the group. What all unites us is that we have a love for western

classical choir music, and feel a responsibility to promote that music and to

guard the heritage it carries.

#Localturnon: Are you open to expanding the group and if yes how can

other members apply

#thebangaloremen: We have the ambition to make sure that our current

members improve and enhance their skills continuously, rather than becoming

just a large choir. We are always interested in getting in touch with aspiring

singers though, and everyone who has a passion for music, in particular choir

singing, should get in touch, if they are willing to work hard and have lots of fun!

It is very important to keep nurturing singers, to make sure they always are put

in front of new challenges and always feel that they are on a learning journey.

#Localturnon: Has The Bangalore Men done collaboration work with

other Artists / other choir groups in India- can you throw some light on

it?

#thebangaloremen: Yes, our flagship project in 2016, SimplySchubert,

saw collaborations with Ms Natallia Kapylova, concert pianist from

Belarus now residing in Bangalore and with Ms Payal John, soprano

hailing from Pune. Together we performed in Bangalore, Mysore, Goa and

Hyderabad, which was an awesome experience. Our latest collaboration

was doing Vivaldi’s Gloria together with the ladies from The Cecilian

Choir of Bangalore, a chamber orchestra from Sweden, all conducted

by our vocal coach and mentor, Ms Maria Forsström of Sweden. Maria

keeps coming down to Bangalore regularly, and then gives master classes and

also concerts to rave reviews.

Collaboration with other musicians is always a joy, and next in line is another

cross-border collaboration, where we will have the privilege to be part of

the performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, together with India

National Youth Orchestra and Vienna University Symphony Orchestra and

Choir, at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Bangalore. This is on the 17th of

April. Mark the date !

Source: Deccan Chronicle, Feb-201

Book THE BANGALORE MEN for your memorable choir events, functions,

performances at www.localturnon.com/bookings and we ensure that you will want them

coming back ! Its a LOCALTURNON GUARANTEE

As we at Localturnon say “Turn On Music || Turn on Happiness || Turn on Life!”

www.localturnon.com