A festival of choirs

Singers from all over the region will be arriving in Bahrain for the first-ever choir festival to be held in the kingdom on March 1.

Manama Singers, arguably the oldest multicultural community choir in the kingdom, is organising Choir Fest Bahrain, which will showcase a variety of musical styles, languages, cultures and traditions ... a fitting tribute to the GCC’s cosmopolitan nature. The event will be held at the Cultural Hall.

“The choirs are from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, sharing and singing a variety of music. We have choirs from schools, churches and the community, and all ranging from 15 to 70 singers,” Manama Singers musical director Jo Diciolla told GulfWeekly. “We are excited to have invited choirs from the region too, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Dubai. The festival will showcase a celebration of our own styles of performance, intertwined with different languages, cultures and traditions.”

“In December 2022, some of our singers went to watch the YMCA (Bahrain) choir, comprising more than 50 singers from several Indian church congregations here, put on their Christmas carol service event,” the 33-year-old Saar resident added. “I had not seen or even heard of any other large choirs since I arrived here in Bahrain seven years ago, so, I was surprised and had such a wonderful evening singing along and enjoying the music.

“This made me realise that maybe there are more choirs on the island, and how wonderful it would be if we could get together, share our music, and create something magical.

“I took the idea to our choir committee and there was eagerness to pursue it further. We did some research and before long we had a long list of choirs to contact. We began the journey last summer, and here we are, with more than 10 choirs attending, from Bahrain and beyond, with a festival that is actually going to happen.”

Among the choirs that will participate in the event during the F1 weekend is the YMCA Bahrain.

“This is a great opportunity to share our music with one another,” YMCA Bahrain choir conductor Shajimon Christudas said. An electrical engineer by profession, Shajimon is a fan of music especially Carnatic, a traditional style from South India. “We will build good harmony, not only in music but also in our new relationships and friendships,” he added.

Driving down from neighbouring Saudi Arabia, the Najd Choir from Riyadh will also perform at the musical showcase.

“This festival will encourage people from the GCC to get involved with music and join a choir,” Lebanese expatriate Adnan Rachid, who formed the Najd Choir in 2019 said. “I hope it will get the attention of ministries and those in government, and those unfamiliar with choirs will come to discover the many talents in the region. More importantly, I hope the festival will spread joy, love and happiness to those involved and those listening,” the professional musician and choral director who has been singing and leading choirs, including the UNESCO amateur choir, since the age of 15, added.

Bahrain-based Welsh expatriate Tom Matthias, a music teacher and choir leader at Nadeen School, is all set to present the talent that he’s been nurturing.

“The Nadeen School Choir has performed in numerous live events this year, but never alongside another choir. The festival will be an exciting experience for the students, and myself, to take part in,” the Manama Singer pianist said.

In the past, Tom has been on the judging panel of Harmony Music Centre’s Gulf Musician Idol competition and this year, will put on the production of Matilda, among other projects.

Manama Singers will also be one of the performing choirs at the festival. They currently comprise about 40 singers across a wide range of nationalities, including English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish, French, Italian, German, Swiss, Swedish, American, Indian, Pakistani, Malaysian, Kiwi (New Zealand), Jordanian, Lebanese and Zambian. Manama Singers celebrated their golden jubilee in 2022.

“Our vision for the festival is to share a love and appreciation for choral singing in present and future generations in Bahrain, by connecting musicians from diverse cultural backgrounds and traditions from within the Kingdom and beyond,” Jo explained.

Tickets for Choir Fest Bahrain go on sale early February and will be available on Platinumlist. 

For details, follow @manamasingers on Instagram.