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After a lapse of 4 years, it came time for the School on the Hill to meet their brethren at the School by the sea. The traditional Trinity-Thomian weekend took place this year on the 25th and 26th of February at S. Thomas’ College, Mt Lavinia. The tradition dates back to the 1950s when Gordon Burrows of Trinity and Rev’d Roy Yin of S. Thomas’s started a joint service for a time of fellowship and a yearly renewal of brotherhood between the two prestigious schools of the Anglican Church of Ceylon. On Saturday, the Thomians extended a warm welcome to the Trinitians. Following lunch and a session of cheering at the cricket match, the Choir joined the combined practice at the College Chapel. After the fellowship tea, Trinitians and Thomians spent the rest of the evening at the Big club grounds engaged in an enjoyable session of various games. The Cricket Match – 1st XI The match was played at the Big Club Grounds of S. Thomas’ College on the 24th and 25th of February. Following the two sessions, the teams scored as follows, Trinity College, Kandy – 209/10 80.4 overs S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia – 290/8 102 overs The Ranil Abeynaike memorial trophy was presented to both teams as the match concluded in a draw. The Debate The debate has been a long-lasting tradition between the two schools, which always takes a friendly approach. This year’s debate revolved around a timely and interesting topic where the motion was “This house to take a blue pill over a red pill.” In elaboration, You are offered a red pill that will take you out of the Matrix into the real world and a blue pill that will make you forget the realization together and return to your virtual life as though nothing happened. S. Thomas’ proposed the motion while Trinity opposed it. The teams were as follows, S. Thomas’ College Trinity College Even though the two teams passed on friendly jokes across the floor, the camaraderie and the fellowship formed were unmatchable. At the end of the day, the warden Rev’d Marc Billimoria welcomed the Trinitians to the traditional dinner hosted by him. The acting Chaplain, Rev’d Bro Lionel Peiris SSF, and the two Choirmasters were present at the occasion. The well-fraternized Thomians and Trinitians were seen enjoying the dinner while reflecting upon the day’s proceedings. Holy Communion Service The traditional joint Holy Communion service was held on Sunday morning at the Chapel of Transfiguration. Consecrated in 1927, along the lines of the High Church Anglo-Catholic tradition, the Chapel adorns an evocative mural of the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ painted by the renowned artist David Paynter OBE. It was a sensational experience for the Choristers to witness and take part in the High Church service, contrasting with the CMS Low Church tradition at Trinity but united by the same Anglican choral tradition. The Chaplain of Trinity College, Rev’d Shelton Daniel, delivered the sermon on dealing with temptation during the season of Lent. A special anthem, “Thou Knowest, Lord, the Secrets of Our Hearts” by Henry Purcell was sung with expression and solemnity, which showed aptness on the 1st Sunday of Lent. The fellowship breakfast followed next, where the Warden and Principal of the two Colleges delivered speeches stressing the importance of continuing this glorious tradition for years to come. The Trinitians bade farewell to the Thomians after successfully effectuating the founding motive behind the Trinity Thomian weekend and with high hopes to welcome them next year in the hills. The reassurance of shared values, traditions, and cultures and the profound friendship and brotherhood once again rekindled, the Trinity Thomian weekend of 2023 allowed us to offer praises and thanksgiving to God for the gift of our two great institutions, which carries forward their mission of building Christ’s Kingdom for the greater glory of God. Review by Samiru Herath (Web Content Team)
On Saturday the 13th of August, the Trinity College Choir once again took a lucky audience of musicophiles on a musical journey of reminding and minding their music, through time and places. The Choir of Trinity College, Kandy, staged yet another exclusive and spectacular rendition of its hallmark show, “Mind Your Music” this time under the theme “Jingles to Jazz”. After a three-year interlude, amidst the difficult times, the Choir successfully winded up Mind Your Music 2022 strengthened by the enormous commitment of the Choristers, the Musicians and the Grace of God. In a cool evening of August breeze, the packed audience in Trinity College main hall eagerly awaited to experience the promise of an entertaining 2 hour at the end of a busy week. The Show, as usual, began with the Mind Your Music Theme, which is an abstract of the theme of the famous British Sitcom “Mind Your language”. The Choir moved along the theme of the evening, starting from the BBC News Jingle, the well known “Lilibulero” – an SATB arranged by the late Choirmaster, Mr Ronald Thangaiah. The Choir rendered a resembling performance of the original work, awakening the familiar tune in the minds of many. The 1970 and 1977 Radio Ceylon News Jingles followed next with a special appearance of a Chorister, who is also a member of the Trinity College Drum and Dance Troupe, with a ‘Geta Bera’ to accompany the jingle. The Choirmaster’s amusing explanation of the two Radio Ceylon News Jingles and their association with Sri Lankas’ political history was well received with laughter by the audience. The Choir performed the Kings Singers’ arrangement of “My Grandfather’s clock”, originally composed by Henry Clay-Work. The Choirmaster made it interesting by inviting the audience to monitor the accuracy of the timing using a clock as the Choir kept to time. Getting closer to jazz, next choice was an Afro-American spiritual about Moses of Egypt. “Go Down Moses”, arranged by Robert Latham that brought the first strains of jazz progressions perfected by the versatile singing dynamics of the Choir and two soloists, with a light backing by the Jazz drum. An exciting performance of the theme of “Top Cat”, a much-loved American children’s cartoon, followed next. The Choir sang close harmonies with only the bass line being played on the piano with a touch of drums getting the Choristers and the audience to a swingy mood. “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing”, popular as a jingle associated with Coca-Cola was performed next, led by four trebles in the style of the “New Seekers” . The Harmony from the Choir accompanied by the Piano, Jazz Drum, Guitars, and Keyboard led the audience to clap and snap their fingers creating a spirit of joy. Burt Bacharach is a name that the Choir never leaves out. Next in line was “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head”. The flamboyant soloist, complete with an umbrella, and the Choir did a justice to the original sung by B. J. Thomas, getting the audience into the rhythm of the evening. In the vast sphere of jazz, the connection to varieties of pop/rock is inevitable. The Beatles, , another of the Choir’s favourites was represented with a song arranged in Rag Time by Bob Chilcott. A smaller group of Choristers melodiously performed A Cappella the Lennon-McCartney composition “Penny Lane” as sung by the ‘King’s Singers’. Next was a display of the musicality of the Tenors and Basses (introduced as TTBB Boys). The Tenors and Basses transformed themselves into a Barbershop Style Chorus in the performance of “Sh-Boom”, arranged by Chorister and “Java Jive” by The Manhattan Transfer. The swingy Jazz beats, close harmonies and blending chords created the perfect environment for the intermission with a cup of coffee that followed. “If lots more of us loved each other, we’d solve lots more problems. And then the world would be a gasser.” As the voice of the Jazz luminary Louis Armstrong echoed through, the robust voice of the bass soloist followed the soothing music of “What a Wonderful World”. The roaring cheers that followed were a reaction to the heartwarming nature of the performance Next was one of the greatest hits of all time from the 70s and still enjoyed by many, “How Deep is Your Love” by the famous pop-rock band, Bee-Gees. Going by the original format sung by the three Gibbs brothers, the Choir harmonized with a Trio of singers. The diverse audience immediately got toes-a-tapping, joined in clapping, singing and cheering, extending their joyfulness to the Choir. “Yellow Bird” by Mills Brothers followed next with the winsome and mellow calypso beats from the late 1950s emerging from the congas. The Choir joined the lead Quartet of singers in their tranquillizing voices creating an exotic Caribbean aura. One does not very quotidianly find the western Choral tradition blending with oriental music. The Trinity College Choir, displaying appreciation and interaction with a diverse music range, sang “Tharuda Nidana Maha Rae” by Nanda Malini in four-part harmony along with a lead of a Trio of singers, emulating the original accompaniment of a unique combination of Congas, Piano, and Guitar. As the Wind Controller interlude of the next song began playing, the hall filled with synchronized clapping as it was the popular timeless hit “Kingston Town” by the band UB40. Soloist with his mellifluous Alto voice captivated the audience with ease, whilst the Choir efforted in singing and action to bring out the spirit of Reggae. Then came another spectacular solo performance with the Choir and instrumentation. The jazzy mood of the audience was proliferated with “Blue Moon” by the famous Richard Rodgers, in the style of Rod Stewart, as the Soloist flowingly eased the words. The jazzy sound from the piano and guitar and the coincident sense full moon evening created a truly, mesmerizing ambience. The culmination of all the Jazz songs in the repertory was the “Dreamer’s Ball”, an ideal of the Rock-Jazz genre, was originally sung by the lead vocalist Freddie Mercury of the eminent 90s British rock band, Queen. The performance was a dance
So we bid farewell to yet another Trinity stalwart from the Choir Stalls yesterday. Welcomes, celebrations and send-offs are a regular part of the Choir’s life. More than a duty we consider it an honour and a privilege. Alex Lazarus was a friend of the Choir: quite naturally so, having been a Senior Chorister with his beginnings in the Gordon Burrows era. Sometimes we would suddenly discover him silently seated at the back of the Chapel during practice, enjoying the singing. Then he would join us for a cup of plain tea during the break. He would always say, with a tap on the piano lid: “A ‘Trinitian’ is a simple and humble human being”. Whenever he heard the choir singing his favourites he would come up from “The Lodge” to listen and invariably strike up a conversation – always about the good old days. One of his regular statements was: “This is the place. The singing should permeate all over the school from here. How soothing it is”. He shared many stories that brought out the values of Trinity. Conversations with him, ranging from choir, to how the Chapel was built, to rugby, were always informative and invariably with a touch of humour. We always ended up having a hearty laugh. After some time of preparation, he came to speak to the Choir. On the 29th of May 2018, he was there right on-time to share his experiences as a Trinitian. The choristers listened to him – awestruck. He spoke about Trinity as the school he knew, filled with anecdotes that inevitably brought up laughter. He spoke about his singing, bone breaking tackles, camps, excursions and days in the boarding. As a final thought in his talk, he shared his interpretation of ‘Respice Finem’. For him ‘Respice Finem’ meant “look to the end of whatever task you are doing now”. If everything was done that way, we would all end up doing a complete job every time! He was always present at the events of the Choir. Not only at the event, even before the event he was always there to help and supervise the arrangements. Setting up the extra chairs from the hall, with the help of the boarders, and supervising the polishing was his speciality. He taught the workers how to place the chapel pews evenly using a wooden hall-chair to set the space. We could be rest assured that everything was just so. After the event he would never fail to come and say, with that ever present big smile on his face: “Hey la – you gave it! Super.” Alex Lazarus, despite his great achievements, was a rare, truly simple man who lived his life as he claimed himself to be. Another page of Trinity’s Life-book is no more. We have been so privileged to have had the opportunity of reading at least a part of it. LT
“For there is born to you, this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.” – St. Luke 2:11 The evening of the 10th of December 2017 marked one of the most important events in the College calendar, “The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols”; Comprising 9 readings from the Bible which unfolds the story of Christ’s birth, each followed by carols related to the lesson itself. With the familiar pealing of the Chapel bell, the Choir came in procession carrying lamps, from the Principal’s Bungalow to the Chapel which was only lit by oil lamps and candles, setting the atmosphere for the Service – the scene that captures the hearts of everyone waiting in anticipation. With the traditional solo of “Once in Royal David’s City” sung by a Chorister from Grade 6, the Choir joined in harmony, accompanied by the organ, as they gracefully walked into the Choir stalls. The opening carol “Born on a New Day” by Philip Lawson, sung acapella, preceded the first lesson which was read by a chorister from Grade 6. Next was a Sinhala carol sung also related to the first lesson called “Muldegurun ge Papayen” (Sin of the first parents) for which the musical arrangement was done by the Choir itself. The second lesson spoke of God’s promise to Abraham followed by a Tamil carol named “Vinnaham Thurandu” (The Heavens Opened) which was again an arrangement done by the Choir. Both Sinhala and Tamil carols were sung with the accompaniment of Tabla and Thalampota with the organ. John C. Martin’s acapella arrangement of “The only Son from Heaven”, an organ prelude named “Herr Christ, der einge Gottessohn” composed by J.S Bach, was heard as the third lesson concluded: the prophecy of Christ’s birth by Isaiah. The carol that accompanied the fourth lesson was “Es ist ein rose estsprungen” sung acapella in German, arranged by Michael Praetorius, which is translated as “Lo how a Rose er Blooming”. “Dixit Maria a composition” by Hans Leo Hassler with its contrapuntal harmonies brought forth the message archangel Gabriel gave unto the mother of God in conjunction with the fifth lesson. Shifting to modern compositions, the Choir sang “My Love is Always Here” by Alexander Desplat which was composed for “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1”. Both were sung acapella. Adding to the variation in the language and style of the carols, a French carol “Quelle est cette odeur agreable”, translated as “Whence is that goodly fragrance flowing”, arranged by David Willcocks, was sung adding to the grandeur of the worship. The subtle tones and flowing notes of “All Bells in Paradise” by John Rutter enamoured the congregation to the humility embedded in the story of nativity. The Choir sang eight carols in five languages and six musical styles, of which four were acapella. The addition in the recent years of an Old Chorister soloist in the service, continued with “Good King Wenceslas”, which was also joined by the congregation. During the course of the evening many well known congregational carols such as “God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen”, “Hark the Herald”, “Unto us is Born a Son” were sung by the Choir while some verses were sung only by the congregation. The traditional carol “O Come all ye Faithful” was sung while the Choir recessed to the west door to end the last verse with the popular descant, marking the end of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. Once again it was, without doubt, an evening that moved the hearts of all those who took part in this meaningful advent service, and lifted their spirits through a variety of music and readings from the Bible. We are assured that the evening filled them with a sense of meekness, love and humility; the true spirit of Christ whose incarnation was celebrated. Picture Credits to Neson George, Trinity College Media Unit and Amila Alahakoon Photography
As the Choir completes 144 years, being the oldest traditional student organization at Trinity College Kandy continuing a choral tradition of excellence from its inception, 2016 marks yet another sensational year for the highly acclaimed Choir. This year, a record number of 45 musical pieces, several of them with 8 part harmonies, have been publicly performed by the Choir in addition to its repertoire of hymns at regular Services and School Events. The Year 2016 was a challenging year for the Choir of Trinity College Kandy. The fifty-seven voices of the Choir was in performance throughout the year starting off with the installation ceremony of the new Principal, Mr. Andrew Fowler-Watt and concluding the year with a successful Christmas Eve Service. Trinity – Thomian Weekend Combined service with the St. Thomas’ College Mt. Lavinia up in Kandy was held in February 21st 2016. ‘Look at the World’ by John Rutter was performed as a special anthem by both choirs at this traditional event. The Cross and Triumph of Christ Being one of the Main Events of the Choir calendar, ‘The Cross and Triumph of Christ’, a Lenten Meditation and Easter Reflection in Music, Lessons and Prayers was held during the 1st Term. The congregation was inspired by the Choir’s choice of ‘Ich will hier bei dir stehen’ by Bach, ‘How deep the father’s love for us’ by Stuert Townend, ‘Fling wide the gates’ by John Stainer, ‘Behold the lamb of God’ by Handel, ‘Ave verum, corpus’ by Mozart, ‘This joyful Eastertide’ by Charles Wood and ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ by Handel which the Principal, Mr. Andrew Fowler-Watt was invited to conduct. The Choir concluded the Term with Easter Sunday. Picture credit: Trinity College Media Unit Abendlied an Evening of Choral Music The Second Term commenced with practices for ‘Abendlied’, An Evening of Choral Music in collaboration with the choir of St. Joseph’s College Colombo. Four compositions were sung by the Choir for this event, ‘Dem Bones’, ‘Prayer for Peace’, ‘Abendlied’ by Josef Rheinberger and ‘The Lord of dance’ on it s own, and ‘Ave verum, corpus’, Panis Angelicus’, ‘Jesu, joy of man’s desiring’ and ‘Gloria Te’ as combined items. Festival of Choirs by the Ceylon Bible Society At the CBS Annual Festival of Choirs which followed, held at the Trinity College Chapel, ‘Go down, Moses’ a Negro spiritual composition and ‘Lead kindly, light’ by Howard Goodall was sung by the choir. Choir Trip to Haputale The 2nd Term was concluded with the Choir organizing an expedition to Haputale where the Choir visited the resting place of Rev. Walter Stanley Senior and sang for a Service of Remembrance at St. Andrew’s Church Haputale. The Trip was generously hosted by Mr. & Mrs. Denham Madena and some Uva Old boys. The Choristers got the opportunity to visit the Adhisham Bungalow, Dambatanne Tea Factory and many scenic places in Haputale. The Choir is immensely grateful for the kindness of its hosts. “Rhymes to Rhapsody” – Mind Your Music Concert The Choir held its own non-religious music public concert “Mind Your Music” themed “Rhymes to Rhapsody’ with a smorgasbord of Music ranging from Folk to Pop on 17th September 2016 at the College Main Hall. The choir performed fifteen compositions comprising to different types of music genres namely, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, a Negro spiritual ‘Swing Low’, ‘Tallis’ Cannon’, ‘Peter Piper’, ‘Sing a Song of sixpence’ by John Rutter, ‘Lass of Richmond Hill’, ‘Grandfather’s Clock’, ‘Just a Song at Twilight’, ‘Here, There and Everywhere’, ‘I Started a Joke’, ‘One Note Samba’, ‘Ben’ by Michael Jackson, ‘Greatest Love of All’ by Whitney Houston, ‘No Matter What’ and ‘One Thing’ by One Direction. The Tenors and Basses of the choir sang an acapella named ‘I get around’ by the Beach Boys as a special item at the Concert. The accompanists at the concert were Dr. Suresh De Mel at the Piano, Mr. Neson George on Lead Guitar, Mr. Stephan Sansoni on Bass Guitar, Mr. Jonathan George at the Drums, Mrs. Sadhana Madasekara at the Keyboard and was directed and conducted by our Choir Master Mr. Lasantha Tennekoon. Festival of Choirs by the Kandy Music Society The choir was invited to perform at Girls’ High School Kandy for an annual concert organized by the ‘Kandy Music Society’. Tenors and Basses of the choir performed ‘No matter what’, ‘Peter Piper’ and ‘I get around’ in TTBB arrangements. The Performance was appreciated by the Audience. A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols Picture credit: Neson George The most celebrated event of the of the Choir,‘The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols’ was held on 4th December 2016, where the choir sang ‘E’en so, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come’ by Paul Manz, ‘Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light’ by Bach, ‘Angelus ad Virginem’ by Willcocks, ‘O magnum mysterium’ by Morten Lauridsen and ‘Sing we now of Christmas’ by Fred Prentice. The whole service was magnificent as commented by the many from the congregation with many moved to tears with stirred emotion. Old Chorister Mr. Sharon Rajamoney was the guest soloist this year. The Carol Service as fondly known, was followed by the Traditional Dinner at the Principal’s Bungalow. Picture credit: Amila Alahakoon “Rocking around the Christmas Tree” Picture credit: Trinity College Media Unit Even though the School term ended, the year did not conclude for the Choir as yet. The Senior Choristers were invited to sing at ‘Rocking around the Christmas Tree’, a Christmas program along with the Elizabeth Moir School Choir. Tenors and Basses of the choir went to Colombo and sang ‘Ding Dong Merrily on High’ as an individual item and some well-known Christmas Carols along with the Elizabeth Moir Choir and other invited Choirs. Christmas Eve service at the Trinity College Chapel Picture credit: Amila Alahakoon Trinity College had, probably its first, Christmas Eve Service, which brought an unexpected number of congregants crowd to the Chapel that delighted us. The Choir lead the Congregation as they celebrated the Joy of Christmas. The Choir continued to play a leading role in
