More than 60 voices from the community have come together to present Bahrain’s national anthem in a dazzling show of unity.
Manama Singers – one of the kingdom’s oldest community choirs – recently released the video, marking the culmination of the digital project that was launched in April. In addition to the group’s members, participants included talents from other local choirs.
South African expatriate Stefan Els from Al Sayh, Manama Singers’ co-conductor alongside Jo Diciolla, led the initiative, which entailed recording Bahrain’s anthem – Bahraynunā (‘Our Bahrain’) – online and then stitching the parts together to produce a cohesive track.
“This was the first project I have done virtually and though there were
many learning curves along the way, everyone came together to make it
work,” Stefan told GulfWeekly.
According to the 34-year-old, many new
members have joined the group since the event. Additionally, some old
members, who have left the island, rekindled their passion for singing
and joined the rehearsals from countries like Japan and the UK.
Stefan
highlighted that the inspiration for the project came from the group’s
rehearsals shifting online due to the uncertainty of the regional
conflict. During the peak of the Iranian attacks that began in February,
many groups shifted their meetings to virtual platforms to ensure
safety.
“Being a part of the online choir was so very special and enjoyable,” Navaz Kotwal Rustomjee from Sanad said.
“Bahrain
has been our home for such a long time, and it felt like the perfect
opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to beautiful Bahrain and her lovely
people,” added the 50-year-old Indian expatriate, who has lived here for
the last two decades.
Swiss expatriate Tamara Bischof Kaiser from
Barbar noted that she was initially intimidated about singing in Arabic
but with the help and patience of Arabic-speaking members of Manama
Singers, she overcame her fear of pronunciation.
“I am incredibly
proud to be able to sing Bahrain’s national anthem,” expressed the
55-year-old soprano, who has been with Manama Singers for the past four
years and also serves on the group’s committee.
Among the Bahraini
members, who guided the participants with the lyrics, was Iraqi born
Bahraini Abdullah Alani. He also stepped in to support with the audio
and video recordings.
“My wife wanted to contribute as well, so she
made the final video. I loved how Manama Singers accepted me into their
circle,” recounted the 40-year-old, who joined the group just six months
ago but has previously been an instrumentalist with the choir.
Manama
Singers performed the anthem at the special Bahrain Is United national
initiative held at the Crowne Plaza Conference Centre last week. More
than 500 Bahrainis and expatriates came together reaffirming their
unwavering support for Bahrain’s leadership, sovereignty and security.
“We
will be taking a break for the summer but have some interesting
projects lined up from September onwards,” Stefan revealed, adding that
they can not wait to entertain the community with their musical
performances.
