College life is always one we reminisce! We’ve all dreamt of starting our own music band and making it big! Those quirky names we came up with, those bands we worshiped and idolised. But, then came semester exams and life was no more seen through rose tinted glasses. However, meet the Kristu Jayathi College choir from Bengaluru who took their love for music beyond their curriculum.
Prujeeth Joshua the director of this magnificent ensemble of 130 talented singers, began training the choir in 2016 with a vision to bring out the best in these aspiring singers. The ensemble comprises of students from various walks of life, from across the country and international students as well.
When we asked Prujeeth about what gave him the idea to take music beyond college and classrooms, he says, “Generally in an institution there is an annual showcase of the choir, but that has a limited range of exposure. When we put in great effort, we would like to have a greater recognition and solidify a legacy.”
Managing a group this large can be a herculean task, but Prujeeth has a systematic way of doing it. He says, “We have divided the choir into five parts: alto, tenor, bass, soprano and musicians and each of these have cluster heads. The cluster heads train under me every day and take it forward to the choir. I have a very good ear and so I can notice, therefore individual attention is given to those who make mistakes and eventually conduct as a whole.”
The KJC choir has made several covers under their banner and their recent video album of the famous patriotic number Satya Meva Jayathe has managed to garner much appreciation with over 10,000 views. The choir aspires to participate in International competitions eventually and representing the country on an international forum is definitely on their wish list! Speaking about the themes they’re songs are based on Prujeeth says, “Music is a very powerful tool, therefore anything that we do have the ulterior motive to create change, awareness and cause an impact.”
Everything we do definitely comes from some inspiration and for the KJC choir, “Our inspirations are drawn from many people. The BYU and Gaither vocal band tops the list. We have our own style and learning is an endless process. Every time we try to asses someone, we ensure to learn and make room for change. We keep our minds open, and appreciate music that comes from everywhere,” he says.
Speaking about what’s next for the choir, Prujeeth says, “Wookrock is our annual seasonal music series. We’re currently producing a Christmas single followed by the first volume of Woodrock. The entire production process including producing the content, recording, editing, and shooting the video, etc is done by the KJC choir. We will produce and release different categories of music such as gospel, folk fusion, classic rock, acapella, world music and acoustic unplugged.”
