With a few years of carnatic vocals under my belt (albeit over two decades ago), and with a short-lived stint at playing the guitar, I am no musician. My family is music-obsessed, but aside from being able to name rock artists of the 60s and 70s, my expertise ends there.
When, in 2024, I was invited to join the MGPA, I embraced the opportunity. I had heard about the MGPA before – a Madras based choir group that invites people of all faiths and all musical backgrounds to come together and perform. They were preparing for a concert for the holiday season, Sounds of the Season.
What struck me when I walked into practice at the Sacce Hall at The Kirk was the warmth in the room. People of all ages, walking around, chatting, laughing, catching up on events of the week, exchanging hugs. Our conductor, Atul Jacob, sat at his piano. “Ok, let’s start with some warm ups,” he said, and started playing. And when the music started, all my thoughts melted away.
Not reading sheet music did not matter – each voice group shared piano and voice recordings of the songs that we had to learn. We practiced as voice groups and as an overall choir. We rehearsed at The Kirk on Thursdays, sessions that were pivotal for figuring out how we would piece the different voices together.
One Thursday, The Shortz (the children’s choir) showed up to our rehearsal. They brought with them happy, chirpy energy, exchanging laughs, excitedly chattering about things that only kids would understand. We rehearsed as a group, practicing our entries and exits, stitching the songs together. I watched as The Shortz sang familiar songs – Run Run Reindeer, Somewhere in My Memory, Twelve Days of Christmas, and I could see the concert piecing together.
On concert night, the group arrived at the Egmore Museum Theatre a few hours before the show. We were shown our dressing rooms where we nervously chatted, fixed our outfits and waited. Atul got the adult choir together, testing for the sound in the theatre. As he walked up the stairs to the back of the room, listening to how the sound travelled, I realised that we were very lucky to have a conductor as passionate and dedicated to music as Atul.
Before we knew it, the theatre was full and it was show time. Our opening number was Tume Kuja, a peppy song that was perfect for shaking off the nerves. As our adult choir walked through the theatre onto the stage, singing in harmony, everything came together. Our hours spent rehearsing, making mistakes, and making the same mistakes again, paid off.
The MGPA delivered Atul’s curated selection of songs, balanced perfectly to take the audience on a journey for the next ninety minutes. We performed audience sing-alongs for songs like The First Noel and Silent Night. The Shortz lifted the energy of the hall with their performances of It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year and A Holly Jolly Holiday. The adult choir sang powerful pieces like This Child and Worship the King, and before we knew it, we’d come to the end of our concert, concluding with Aulde Lang Syne.
The beauty of the MGPA is that the show really does go on. The next concert had already been scheduled. And so, the following Thursday, we gathered once again at The Kirk, chattering, laughing, swapping hugs, planning our upcoming MGPA Christmas party, waiting for Atul to bring us back to centre, sit at his piano and say, “Ok, let’s start with some warm ups.”
