JOIN USA musical group that is turning heads with each performance, ‘Rhapsody’ is a choir making waves with its unique taste in music.
Led by founder and director Sudhakar John Doraiswamy, the members are gearing up for ‘Nost Ala Mode’, a choral rock concert, on August 5 and 6. Sudhakar speaks to Anila Kurian about their journey.
Tell us about the inception of ‘Rhapsody’.
I am a trained choral conductor and I’ve directed and conducted several musicals. I’ve always wanted to put together a choir that would look beyond devotional music and stay true to its name.
You’ve come a long way...
We completed a year in June. We started by performing at Glorious Choir and then participated in all the other choir functions in the city. The choral rock concert is our next big step.
About the upcoming concert.
It’s definitely one-of-a-kind and the first such event in Bengaluru. We’ll be performing everything from retro to contemporary music, right from the 60s to the present.
You have a mixed group of members. When do you get the time to practice?
Our youngest member is 13 and the oldest is 80. Because of this, we know that we
can’t practise as often as we want. That’s why all members
have dedicated their Saturdays for this.
Your best performance...
All our performances have been special. We recently sang ‘Shape of You’ by Ed Sheeran which got great reviews.
On being a choir master...
You have to encourage the members to bring out their best. Since I am a trained choir master, there are certain terms I know and making the other members understand these is not that easy. Thankfully, I have a good team.
Your goal with ‘Rhapsody’...
I want to take the choir around the globe and prove that India too has world-class choirs.