They are India’s #1 all Male Western Choir Group based out of Bangalore. They are immensely talented and have won audiences with their performances in Bangalore, Pondicherry, Goa, Hyderabad and Mysore. As they look set to up the Music Temperature this summer, Localturnon sets up a rendezvous to get close to this awesome bunch of men oops.. Bangalore men that is
#Localturnon: How did you come up with the idea of forming a western choir group with Indian Men in a city like Bangalore?
#thebangaloremen: There is a certain sound around all-male choirs, and a lot of repertoire written especially for male voices. We wanted to showcase this, and make sure that this unique heritage is carried forward. Until today, there was no all-male choir in India, doing the repertoire we do, purely western classical music. Bangalore is a city with a musical heritage, given by institutions such as The Bangalore School of Music, and also have a lot of talented and hard-working singers, so for us it was an excellent combo. The Bangalore Men was formed in January 2016. When we started off, we were 9 members, now we are 16 guys, all very passionate about the art form we represent! In the short span the choir has been active, we have performed for enthusiastic and supporting music lovers in Bangalore, Pondicherry, Goa, Hyderabad and Mysore.The name of the gang? Well, we are a male choir from Bangalore – hence The Bangalore Men seemed very suitable (smiling)
#Localturnon: What makes The Bangalore Men unique?
#thebangaloremen: For starters we are one of its kind in this part of the world with an all-male ensemble. We focus only on Western classical music, ranging from late 1200s to, until now, early 1900s. The music we do, should be appealing to the audience, but also pose a challenge and learning opportunity for the choir singer. Well, we are inspired by various musicians, and our style ideal come from the male choirs found in Scandinavia and England, with a pure yet powerful sound, combined with a lot of focus on interpretation. Some inspirations are The King’s Singers, Orphei Drängar and The Tallis Scholars, all well-established male choirs with an excellent clarity of sound. A great source of inspiration is of course internet, to find repertoire, to listen to other choirs and to generally discover and explore more and more about the human voice and what we can do with it if used in the right way!
#Localturnon: Tell us something about the Selection of these Unique Men.
#thebangaloremen: They have all been chosen very carefully and for their talent. All our singers have to audition prior to becoming part of the group, and everyone is expected to have basic music theory knowledge, a good instrument and be willing to dedicate time and energy for the group. What all unites us is that we have a love for western classical choir music, and feel a responsibility to promote that music and to guard the heritage it carries.
#Localturnon: Are you open to expanding the group and if yes how can other members apply
#thebangaloremen: We have the ambition to make sure that our current members improve and enhance their skills continuously, rather than becoming just a large choir. We are always interested in getting in touch with aspiring singers though, and everyone who has a passion for music, in particular choir singing, should get in touch, if they are willing to work hard and have lots of fun! It is very important to keep nurturing singers, to make sure they always are put in front of new challenges and always feel that they are on a learning journey.
#Localturnon: Has The Bangalore Men done collaboration work with other Artists / other choir groups in India- can you throw some light on it?
#thebangaloremen: Yes, our flagship project in 2016, SimplySchubert, saw collaborations with Ms Natallia Kapylova, concert pianist from Belarus now residing in Bangalore and with Ms Payal John, soprano hailing from Pune. Together we performed in Bangalore, Mysore, Goa and Hyderabad, which was an awesome experience. Our latest collaboration was doing Vivaldi’s Gloria together with the ladies from The Cecilian Choir of Bangalore, a chamber orchestra from Sweden, all conducted by our vocal coach and mentor, Ms Maria Forsström of Sweden. Maria keeps coming down to Bangalore regularly, and then gives master classes and also concerts to rave reviews.Collaboration with other musicians is always a joy, and next in line is another cross-border collaboration, where we will have the privilege to be part of the performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, together with India National Youth Orchestra and Vienna University Symphony Orchestra and Choir, at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Bangalore. This is on the 17th of April. Mark the date !
Source: Deccan Chronicle, Feb-2017
Book THE BANGALORE MEN for your memorable choir events, functions, performances at www.localturnon.com/bookings and we ensure that you will want them coming back ! Its a LOCALTURNON GUARANTEE 
As we at Localturnon say “Turn On Music || Turn on Happiness || Turn on Life!”
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