Old Joes’ Choir and Camerati present ‘That’s Christmas to Me’
By Dimithri Wijesinghe
Christmas is just only a couple of weeks away, and despite the coronavirus stealing its thunder, the holiday is determined to make its mark. Christmas carols are, of course, an integral part of the season, and the Old Joes’ Choir, together with Camerati, have taken it upon themselves to spread some Christmas cheer.
The two groups shared that “Christmas means different things to different people. For a great many of us, the spirit of Christmas has always been best captured by and through music. In the wake of a year that has compelled us to pause and reflect both on the past and what the future can bring, we would like to celebrate what Christmas can still mean to us, in our own way”, and so they present “That’s Christmas to Me” (arr. Pentatonix).
The Morning Brunch spoke to Russel Valentine of the Old Joes’ Choir, who shared with us the thinking behind this collaboration. He stated that while the Old Joes’ Choir has collaborated with other choirs on multiple occasions, performing together with the Old Peters’ Choir, S. Thomas’, etc., this partnership would mark their first digital release of coming together for this kind of project.
He shared that they hoped to do something meaningful this season, especially considering the present climate, and the place we as a society are in right now. He said that the song they have chosen, which is “That’s Christmas to Me” by Pentatonix, resonates well with the message they hope to convey this Christmas season, adding that it speaks to the current situation we are all in.
This song was previously performed by the Old Joes’ Choir back in 2015, and they have now chosen to perform it with first-time collaborators, the Camerati choral group.
Valentine added that the Old Joes’ Choir does not tend to perform with so few members; however, considering that the ladies at Camerati are a set number, they did not wish to overwhelm the balance of their partnership. Therefore, this time around, you will see a total of 20 choral members taking part in total.
He said they are grateful, and super elated, for the opportunity to perform with the Camerati group. Saying that it was a great experience, especially considering that they all have wonderful mutual friends amongst the groups, he shared that it had been a fantastic collaborative effort leading up to the final production, which is available online now.
Camerati is an all-female vocal ensemble, based in Sri Lanka, with a wide repertoire ranging from gospel, classical, jazz, barbershop, showtunes, and pop.