30th Anniversary of the Auroville Choir

This year marks the 30th year of Nuria Casanova directing the Auroville Choir, which had initially been formed and conducted by Pushkar Carlotto in 1991. On 30 September and 1 October the Auroville Choir offered the first of two sets of concerts, featuring a selection of music the Auroville Choir has performed over these last three decades. 

The classical evening programme began with the ‘Gloria’ from the ‘Magnificat in G Minor’ by Vivaldi. In a piece of unprogrammable synchronicity, as the last whispers of ‘Amen’ were being sung, a crack of thunder, seemingly directly over the rooftop itself, shook us all and quick as a flash Nuria pointed a finger up to the heavens in divine appreciation. Thereafter, the monsoonal lightning lit its way through many pieces, giving the concert an unearthly accompaniment. 

Fitting effortlessly into the stormy weather was ‘Northern Lights’ by Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo, whose music was set to the Latin text Pulchra es amica mea and conveys something of the ‘powerful, even terrible beauty’ of the Aurora Borealis. 

A gentle contrast came from the ‘Seal Lullaby’, written by Rudyard Kipling and put to music by American composer Eric Whitacre, which was encored at the end.

William Wordsworth’s poem ‘I wandered lonely as a cloud,’ recited by Otto, was accompanied by vocal music for choir composed by Aurovilian Anandi Sala Casanova. 

The programme concluded with the ‘Earth’s Aspiration Chant’, a melody of the Mother’s arranged for four voices by Nuria. This piece was introduced with the inspiring comment that, “Every time we sing this melody, we feel a strong connection with each other and a common aspiration for a more luminous and conscious life.”

As in previous years, the singing was of a high quality with evident dedication from the singers. These concerts are a fine example of Aurovilians coming together for a unifying and uplifting purpose.

Later in the season the Auroville Choir will perform another set of concerts featuring popular songs from their repertoire to again mark and celebrate this 30th Anniversary.