Methodist College Choir hits a high note!

Tuesday, 21 May 2013 00:15 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The latest World Ranking List released by the German based Interkultur (www.interkultur.com) has Methodist College ranked No 18 in the world among all youth and children’s choirs. It also ranks 67th among the top 1,000 choirs in the world.

This singular achievement follows on the heels and as a result of its achievements at the Xinhai International Choir Competition held in Guangzhou, China, last November where it became the first-ever Sri Lankan choir to win a Platinum Medal in international competitions.

The judges at this competition praised the Methodist College Choir for “its energy, tone, and musicianship’. The choir participated in this competition on invitation by the organisers who were impressed with its performance at its first international outing at the First Vietnam Choral Competition, held in Hoi-An, in 2011, where it won in its category, a gold and also a silver diploma. This was a first by any school choir from Sri Lanka.

The Methodist College Choir has been conducted and directed by Sanjeev Jayaratnam for the last three years. Under his training and leadership, Sri Lanka’s celebrated all-male vocal ensemble ‘The Revelations’ had the distinction of being ranked No. 4 in the world among male choirs in 2010. It also became the only double World Champions from South Asia, at the World Choir Games held in Austria in 2008.

Principal of Methodist College Shanthi Dias said: “This great achievement is solely due to the professionalism and dedication of the choir director Sanjeev Jayaratnam, and of course, the hard work and commitment of the choristers. Our girls didn’t have the required time to train for this competition and so it is certainly a reflection of Sanjeev’s rigourous training that they could have this success in such a short space of singing together.”