- Rohan De Lanerolle on life, music, and his appointment to the International Choral Conductors Federation
Rohan De Lanerolle is one half of the musical duo the De Lanerolle Brothers (with his brother Ishan De Lanerolle), a much loved musical brand with a repertoire of western music that ranges from Opera excerpts to sacred, classical, lieder, and gospel, to pop music.
In addition to his work as part of the De Lanerolle Brothers, Rohan is also an accomplished choral director. He is the only Sri Lankan to be the Artistic Director of two international choirs – the Fricilia Mixed Choir in Indonesia and the Ao Naga Choir from Delhi. He is also the Music Director of the Visakha Vidyalaya choir, directing and conducting the school’s senior, junior, and primary choirs. Just six months after he took on the position, Visakha Vidyalaya went on to be crowned champions at the All Island Inter-School Singing Competition for the first time in eight years, winning in the A1 Category for Equal Voices (Girls).
Rohan is a celebrated juror who has sat in many international choir competitions around the world, judging (and directing) choirs. In his own words, the list of countries and competitions he has been to is endless, spanning Italy, Austria, Hong Kong, Singapore, and China, to name a few.
Rohan’s skill as a choral director and conductor has received yet another accolade, with Rohan being invited to become a founding member (and possibly the only South Asian founding member) of the International Choral Conductors Federation (ICCF). With this latest development in Rohan’s illustrious career, Brunch sat down with the baritone tenor for more on the ICCF, what Rohan has been up to during the pandemic, how he balances all the different roles he plays in life, and his thoughts on staying inspired.
Taking Sri Lanka’s choral industry to the global stage
As one of the 58 founding members of the ICCF, Rohan first shared with us that it was a huge honour to have been selected to be a founding member of a prestigious international body. “The ICCF is very new, and it’s the first-ever platform that has been created to bring choral conductors from all parts of the globe to meet on one common stage,” Rohan said, adding that this element of beginning conductors together is at the core of what the ICCF hopes to do.
With the ICCF still drafting plans, Rohan also shared that another thing the ICCF hopes to do is conduct their own choral competitions and connect people to one another to do various activities, explaining that if Covid-19 has shown us anything it is that so much can be achieved online in terms of conducting classes and workshops. “I feel that over a period of time you will see the ICCF becoming one of the most happening platforms chorally which will benefit a lot of people. I already have a lot of people waiting to come here and work with us.”
On Sri Lanka and his personal role as a founding member, Rohan said that while Sri Lanka’s choral music industry is relatively small, it is very rich in culture and has a long history of choral tradition. “I feel that we have so much to gain from this role I have been given, and obviously, this will entail a lot of work for me here, but I am open to the challenge because, to me, it’s about giving to others and empowering others with my experience and knowledge. It’s the next generation of singers in this country who will benefit from this. I would say the ICCF opens up doors and windows in Sri Lanka where our standards of choral music will only increase.”
Part of the ICCF’s plan is driving membership and inviting other conductors in Sri Lanka who have choirs to be part of the ICCF. Rohan shared that any conductor of any choir will be eligible to join and will not need to be formally trained to be eligible to join the ICCF, pointing out that he himself was not trained formally, but learned by watching and being trained by other eminent conductors and musicians like Rohan Joseph de Saram, Kalahari Lylie Godridge, Russel Bartholomew, Sanjeev Jayaratnam, and Soundarie David.
Wearing many hats
While Rohan is known for his vocal talent, his directorial skill, and being part of the De Lanerolle Brothers, he does in fact have a day job. And quite a big one, for Rohan is also an entrepreneur, leading operations at the family business Abacus Tea, a large tea packaging operation that turns out approximately 1.5 million tea bags a day.
Independently owned with just Rohan, Ishan, and their parents as directors, Abacus Tea has also recently diversified into pioneering a machine that can create tea bags without staples. This innovation was invented by Rohan’s father Abacus Tea Chairman and Inventor Rohan (Sr.) De Lanerolle. Called the C2S (Conversion 2 Stapleless) project, the invention turns old tea-bagging machines into ones that can produce stapleless teabags. The C2S project is led by Ishan, while Rohan focuses on the operations of the company.
When asked how he manages being director of operations of a tea company, Artistic Director of two international choirs, Musical Director of the Visaka Vidyalaya choirs, being in the De Lanerolle Brothers, being a juror at international choral competitions, and now a founding member of the ICCF, Rohan just laughed and said: “Well your guess is as good as mine, but I suppose, if you are working and living up to the word of an entrepreneur, you need to know how to juggle your time with family, business, singing, and conducting. When I was asked to the ICCF, my wife asked me if I have lost my bearings to go and take on a position like this with so much going on in our lives. But that’s what it’s about, and we will manage.”
On how he stays inspired through it all, Rohan said what drives him is seeing progress. “When you see the amount of development that each chorister is making, like with what I’ve been seeing with Vishaka Vidyalaya, for example, it’s unbelievable unless you are in that field to see the amount of development we’ve achieved over a six-month period. Technically, there were some singers, even in my international choirs as well, who were just normal singers, but now they have evolved; you’re getting another 20% or 30% more from them, and for me, that is very inspiring and keeps me going, because the work I’ve put in is paying rich dividends. I also listen to and watch a lot of concerts on YouTube which keeps me going because I keep watching and keep learning.”
Balancing out creative differences to create something special
With the De Lanerolle Brothers, Rohan works closely with his brother Ishan, the other half of the brand. Even in non-creative families, tensions can always rise, and the theme of fraternal dispute is one of the oldest in storytelling. So how does this work with the De Lanerolle Brothers? Smooth sailing or a tempest beneath the surface?
Rohan shared that it was in fact quite well balanced. “Very honestly, 90% is smooth sailing. I wouldn’t stop short of saying we have arguments, but I think it is necessary in anything for anyone to have different thoughts. It is with those different thoughts that we make a brand. For me, that is what is important, and that is why the brand has been so successful, because I ask Ishan questions, and he can also ask me questions.”
Rohan shared that he and Ishan also have very clear roles – Ishan handles the entire stage, lighting, costume, and ambience, while Rohan handles the music, sound, and food. These roles have been defined by looking at each brother’s strengths, with Rohan sharing that Ishan will go down to every detail, be it something as small as a cufflink or shoelaces or an element of decor to create the best experiences, while Rohan goes into great detail with the music, song selections, sound and linking with the sound people, and curating the food at a De Lanerolle Brother’s event.
Rohan credited this attention to detail to the success of the De Lanerolle Brothers, noting that the sit-down dinner concerts the brand puts on are still unique in Colombo’s entertainment circuit and that with these concerts as well as any other De Lanerolle Brothers production, another thing that contributes to their success is the fact that they treat everyone involved as stakeholders.
Reminiscing on how the De Lanerolle Brothers came to be, Rohan shared that the brand was actually the brainchild of former Leo Burnett Managing Director Ranil De Silva, who saw the brothers perform as an opening act for The Platters, and approached them afterwards with the vision for the De Lanerolle Brothers as the brand it is today.
Rohan’s advice for future choristers
For Rohan, choral music and choir singing is not just about singing, it’s about making a lasting impression on the people listening to you, on touching them, and the ability to do this lies in skill and teamwork. Choral music is like any sport, Rohan shared, adding: “You’ve got to work together, be it as sopranos, or altos or tenors or bases. You have to balance it just like how the batsmen, bowlers, and fielders all contribute. Singing is a sport, there are technical aspects to what you need to do, and it’s not easy. Like any sport, you need to work hard. You can’t suddenly wake and say ‘I’m going to sing today’. You have to put in the work and exercise physically and vocally. Singing in a choir is a different ball game. As much as you would come to enjoy yourself in a choir, there is so much for you to learn. It is give and take, as much as in a sports team.”
Rohan’s key advice was that nothing comes easy in life. “You’ve got to work on your game. Let’s go back to the example of sports – if you want to play on the national team, you have to work for it. It won’t just fall into your plate. Even as a singer or chorister, you have to work at it.” Rohan also stressed that it is important to trust teachers and their process. He also discouraged relying on institutions, administrations, and governments, noting that he didn’t rely on currying favour with any players, and as such, on his own as a singer, chorister, and conductor, as well as with the De Lanerolle Brothers, he knows that his achievements are his own and come with no strings attached.
“It’s one word,” Rohan said. “Choice. If it is your choice to work hard, you will succeed. It’s a difficult choice to make. You have to aspire to become what you want to become. It’s not going to be an easy road. You have to work at your game.”
Rohan also shared that it is important to remember that winning isn’t everything, and just because you win doesn’t mean you can stop working at it. “Winning means nothing if you don’t go back and work on your game right from the beginning. That’s a very clear message I want to share with the youth of this country. It can go horribly wrong the next day or the next year. Go back to you, go back to your basics, and work on your skills.”
