Yuletide brings The Bangalore Men and its comforting music together

I have been singing in choirs since the age of ten. I grew up in Sweden and joined the Cathedral Boys Choir at the Gothenburg Cathedral, Sweden. From then on, I was attending choir rehearsals twice a week for almost twenty years before I moved to Bengaluru at the age of 29. Male voice choirs are quite special in Sweden. They are part of a tradition that goes back to the 1800s, especially in universities and churches. In those days, women were not allowed to sing in churches, so a lot of music was written only for male voices. Because of this, there is a rich repertoire for male choirs, ranging from university songs to serious compositions by composers like Franz Schubert. When I came to India, I felt it would be interesting to try this idea here. That curiosity led to the start of The Bangalore Men in early 2016, where we began with just seven singers.

Christmas music is always very special. I think it is music that unites people and transcends religion. Irrespective of religion, most of us have some relationship with Christmas carols. It could be songs like Silent Night and Deck the Halls or even Christmas pop-songs by Michael Bublé or Mariah Carey. There is something about Christmas music that brings people together and that is very exciting for us as a choir. We always sing the classics — the ones people expect every year — but I also try to include some new music, including pieces from Sweden or by lesser-known composers. It is always a mix of old and new.

If I had to choose one, it would be O Come All Ye Faithful in the arrangement by David Wilcox. We sang it every Christmas morning at 8 am in the cathedral back home in Sweden. That song always signalled that Christmas had arrived. Even today, whenever I hear or sing it, it feels like absolute Christmas to me.

People are very particular about Christmas music, which makes it tricky. Some get upset if there are too many new songs and others if there are too few. I remember one year at our Carols in the City concert at Bangalore International Centre when someone wrote to me afterwards, unhappy that we had not included enough new numbers. So, it is always a balancing act. This year, for example, I was not planning to include Joy to the World, but one of the singers insisted that we must do it. You have to stay traditional while also trying to be a little fresh. For me, it is also about balancing soft and loud, slow and fast and mixing classical Christmas music with pop, rock or jazz influences. The idea is that there should be something for everyone.

The most rewarding part is seeing how open people are to exploring this kind of music. They enjoy it, they record it, they go home and listen to it again, they Google it and they write to us with questions. That shows there is real interest. Classical music is not lofty, boring or conservative. It is fantastic music and forms the foundation of all modern music. Anyone with even a small interest in music should explore it.

I always underestimate how much rehearsal time a Christmas concert needs. You think a song is familiar because you have sung it for years, but then you realise people have forgotten parts, or there are new singers who have never sung it before. So, the weeks before Christmas are a mix of anticipation, joy and a bit of panic. I often assume everyone knows the music and then I realise that is not the case.

It has a lot to do with context and education, but not in a boring way. You need to explain why the music sounds the way it does, what the composer was responding to and what the text meant at the time it was written. If you place the music in its historical and cultural context, people understand it better and start to connect with it. It becomes easier to love that music.

What always stays with me is the sense of togetherness, especially at our Carols in the City concerts. You see such a mix of people, young and old, all enjoying the moment together. We also usually include a sing-along, like Jingle Bells or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Seeing the audience sing with such joy and enthusiasm is unforgettable.

We have been rehearsing every week for almost ten years now and have performed more than 150 concerts. I truly believe this work has helped shape the choral landscape not just in Bengaluru, but in India. It has taken a lot of hard work from every singer involved. If you want to make a difference, you have to rehearse regularly, perform often and commit fully.

This Christmas, audiences can expect a very special Swedish Christmas tradition that is quite unique. I will not say too much, but I think people will be pleasantly surprised. Next year, we are also planning a domestic tour, with performances in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. Later in the year, we are discussing the possibility of presenting a larger work, possibly with soloists and an orchestra, in Bengaluru and perhaps in other cities as well. There are many exciting things ahead.