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Musicians from across the Commonwealth have been united by the work of The Commonwealth Resounds!, a charitable organisation which helps young Commonwealth musicians develop their skills and collaborate across cultures.

Established in Malta nearly a decade ago, The Commonwealth Resounds! has delivered projects and performances across Commonwealth countries –  including Australia, Canada, Malta, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago and Uganda – with a strong focus on supporting the needs of local communities. The organisation has grown thanks largely to the voluntary and fundraising efforts of its young members. 

Supporting children’s choirs in Sri Lanka

In 2012, the organisation’s Founder and Co-Director, Alison Cox OBE invited British musician Joseph Walters to set up three children’s choirs in deprived areas of Sri Lanka through his charity ‘Songbound’.

Mr Walters, a Cambridge University and Guildhall music graduate, came to the project off the back of his internationally-acclaimed film ‘The Sound of Mumbai – A Musical’, which documented the two months Joseph spent giving vocal coaching to 8 to 11 year olds from the slums of Mumbai.

With the help of Mr Walters, Ms Cox and young musicians at London’s Purcell School – the UK’s oldest specialist music school – the project raised enough money to fund choir leaders for three different schools in Sri Lanka: St. Clare’s College, Wellawatte in the south and Killinochchi Maha Vidyalayam and Bharathapuram Vidyalayam in the north.

The choirs convene for weekly practices working off a set syllabus, which covers music from across the world sung in Swahili, English, Spanish and Hindi. Mr Walters believes that the choirs’ international repertoire benefits the children educationally and emotionally.

“Music is not a luxury, but central to who we are and how we feel,” he said, “The children in these choirs are kids from the fringes of society. They now show diminishing aggression, increased focus on studies and are healthier physically and psychologically.”

Rehearsals are set to continue into 2015.