Navi Mumbai: Rehearsing to hit the right note

Choir groups across churches in Navi Mumbai are practising Christmas carols to enthrall the congregation on the eve of Christmas.

Fr Jerry Fernandes of the Sacred Heart Church in Vashi has been conducting the choir rehearsal session since the end of October.

This is for the carol singing during the midnight mass that will be held on the eve of Christmas. He has been training not only choir members, but also parishioners who have volunteered for the same.

“Choral singing creates an ambience of devotion and elevates the human spirit. It is apt for a congregation and important that everyone sings in synchrony,” said Fr Fernandes.

“We conducted an audition for newcomers and including our choir members we have a total of around 45 people participating in this. Carols in different voices such as Soprano, high Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass will be sung for the midnight mass,” added Fr Fernandes.

Sylvia Menezes, a 30-year-old resident of Vashi who has been associated with the choir since the age of seven, said, “We start practising

early in order to polish it further so that on the day of the mass no errors are made. When we start we record the songs in our cell phones and keep listening to it and singing along so that we get familiar with the rhythm,” she said.

She added that every year they sing new carols that everyone loves to hear.

They will also have a festival of carols on December 22, wherein Catholics from a cluster of sectors that constitutes a zone will render songs.

The Church At Kharghar will have a morning mass on December 25 wherein choir that is called the ‘Worship Team’ will render traditional Christmas carols like “Hark! The herald angels sing ‘glory to the newborn King!’”, A King Is Born, Joy To the World, We Praise The Lord and many more.

“This year it will only be choir members and so we started our practice in November, wherein after choosing the song our instrument team practises first, then the singers learn the tune and then we sync it together,” said Eunice Ebenezer, one of the choir coordinators.

She added that while traditional songs are always a part of this, they choose contemporary songs from CDs and videos on Youtube.