Methodist College Senior Choir Proudly Presents ‘Resonance’ 

Meeting the choristers 

The internationally award winning senior choir of Methodist College will make the Lionel Wendt stage come alive on June 10 and 11 with Broadway, African Tribal, Gospel, Classical and Contemporary pop sounds. The concert is directed and conducted by Sanjeev Jayaratnam. He promises that the performance will be about 'communicating emotions'. "We sing from the heart. It is also very entertaining and animated with high energy levels. We are also covering a wide range of songs," he explained. 

Sanjeev Jayaratnam 

Daily Mirror Life first caught up with senior choristers Minduli Perera, Trevoni Manuel and Roshani Emmanuel who shared their experiences with us. 

What kind of sacrifices did you have to make? 

We had to avoid anything cold. So no ice cream or cold drinks for weeks. We were asked not to get wet in the rain and get sick and we were told to take vitamins and drink Samahan and Sustagen. We were also told not to talk much! 

Roshani, Trevoni and Minduli (senior choristers) 

How does it feel to know that this is your last concert performing with the school choir? 

We are happy that it is our last. We have been working very hard and we are very excited about performing on stage. There is so much to be thankful for even with our differences there is a place we are all connected.’ It is a quote from one of the songs we are singing called Thankful sung by Josh Groban. And that is how we feel about choir. 

Trevoni Manuel is also accompanying the choir with the Sinhala medley and she is very happy to be involved and help out however she can. She also plays often for school events. 

The show’s choreography is also done by a chorister. Batya Daniel Peter is a ballerina and has been into dance from a very young age. She first started helping out with choreography when she was still a primary school student with a talent show, and she has been involved with school productions ever since. 

Batya (choreographer) 

How do you come up with routines? 

I usually listen to the songs first and then try out a routine in front of the mirror. Then I try the movements with a small group first before introducing it to the whole choir. My favourite part of the show is the Taylor Swift medley. 

We also spoke to the enthusiastic choir leaders Erandi De Alwis Seneviratne and Adalia Ananthan. They were both part of the schools previous production and thus able to guide the choir with their experience. “It is a different experience to the last time. This time we are more responsible and we have to maintain discipline as well. Our choristers are aged from 14 to 19 years of age so it’s also important for us bring all of them together and bond as a choir," they said. 

Erandi and Adalia (choir leaders) 

How have you been able to balance school work and choir practices? 

We have been practicing for the concert since mid March. And of the last few weeks have been quite hectic. It has been hard to balance studies and choir but all our teachers and Sanjeev sir are very understanding. Sir even gives us pointers about how to study. 

What makes your choir and the performance different? 

What makes our performance different is that it’s not only choral but a mix of different things. There is a variety in the song choices, a lot of emotions and even beat boxing! All of us are very excited and can’t wait to get on stage and perform. 

Who would you like to thank? 

We would like to thank our principal Mrs. Hiranya Fernando, Sanjeev sir and our teachers in charge. We also like to thank the senior choristers who have been constantly supporting us and finally all the choristers for cooperating with us. They also thanked each other and said that they couldn’t have done it without each other. 

The concert will start at 7pm and tickets are available at the school office from 7:30am to 2:30pm. They are priced at Rs. 1500/=, Rs. 1000/=, Rs. 750/= (reserved) and Rs. 500/= (balcony, unreserved). 

By Jithendri Gomes 
Photographs courtesy Methodist College Picture Library