When 50-year-old Neil Nongkynrih, founder and conductor of Shillong Chamber Choir (SCC), the popular Indian chamber choir, decided to create a Christmas album for 2020, he didn’t want to use the same western motifs of snow and reindeers in the musical pieces. But how is it that our music almost never reflects the sound of the East, where Christ was actually born,” says Nongkynrih, who has created Christmas Come Home. The album includes hymns and carols in Urdu, Farsi, Aramaic, English and even Khasi, the mother tongue of most members of the choir. He returned to his hometown in 2001 and formed the Shillong Chamber Choir. During the pandemic, the Choir has done a slew of digital concerts and managed to create a few videos for Christmas.

Source: Indian Express December 24, 2020 10:18 UTC