In Kohima, Nagaland’s hilltop capital, music is not an extracurricular pursuit. It is life itself. Every home has a guitar resting in a corner, and melodies are passed down like heirlooms, from parents to children, siblings to siblings, and neighbours to neighbours.
For Anovi Shohe, a 33-year-old Naga singer now in Kochi, those strings were the first threads that would lead him from childhood daydreams to founding a choir, the Kerala Singing Ambassadors, in Kochi
TNIE catches up with Anovi to discuss his musical journey, the Nagaland music culture, becoming a finalist at the Vienna International Classical Singing, his vision for his ambitious choir project in Kerala, and more…
The first chord
“My father was a pastor in one of the biggest churches in Asia,” he recalls, speaking of his upbringing in a family of ten siblings. “The church and music were inseparable. I still remember being a little boy, sitting in the pews, drumming on my knees as the choir sang.”
Another memory is etched just as vividly: standing on the verandah, a paper microphone in hand, singing his heart out before his parents, his only audience. “Even then, I would tell them. I want to be a musician.”
In Nagaland, the bond with music is communal. “Every Naga family has a guitar,” Anovi says. “Even if we weren’t formally trained, we learned from each other. You know something, you share it with your friends and neighbours. That’s how I learned.”
For the youngest in a large family, Anovi’s path was shaped by his older brothers. “One of my brothers dreamed of being a musician, but he couldn’t pursue it. So he passed that dream to me,” he says. Another insisted that Anovi learn the drums so the brothers could form a band. “We played locally, but later, everyone got busy and it stalled.” Still, the spark was alive.
But, of course, there were many hurdles when he committed to his dream. Like many Indian parents, Anovi’s family worried about stability. “Even in Nagaland, people said I should become an engineer or a doctor. They used to say, How else will you survive?” he remembers.
Yet, with his parents’ blessing and his brother’s encouragement, Anovi refused to give up. “I believed, maybe God had a plan for me.”
The miracle at home
His then dream was to study at Trinity College in London, but the cost was daunting. The turning point came when his brother’s friend, Lipokmar Tzudir, returned from Manila after training in music and opened The Nagaland Conservatory of Music in Dimapur.
“It was a miracle,” Anovi says. “Teachers came from abroad, some even international award winners. Suddenly, world-class music education was at our doorstep.”
Anovi joined the first batch in 2012, intending to major in violin. But the choir drew him in. “I loved the idea of conducting, of leading voices together,” he says. He switched to voice (western classical), studying under Philippine teachers, though for years he wasn’t allowed to sing in the choir because of its technical differences with classical solo training.
Anovi’s chance finally came in his final year, at a Christmas concert with international visitors. “It was tough — learning 15 songs at once — but unforgettable.” He graduated in 2016.
Later, he worked in churches and founded The Choral Project, a choir that performed at small and big events, including the famous Hornbill Festival. Proceeds often went into community causes, such as repairing a local school roof. “It was never just about music,” Anovi says.
The Vienna run
In 2019, he took a leap of faith and competed in the Vienna International Classical Singing Competition. “I was a finalist. Imagine, a boy from a small Indian city standing beside Europeans in their own tradition,” Anovi says, still awed. “It was also humbling. I realised how much I still had to learn.” But back home, people began to see me as a serious musician.
That experience deepened his conviction: music was not a gift for a chosen few. “Everyone has music in them,” Anovi insists. “Some are naturally talented, but with hard work and guidance, anyone can learn. Music is universal. It’s in the way we speak, in everyday rhythms. The sad state of affairs in India is that we confine music to Bollywood or Tollywood. Parents don’t see its value beyond that.”
In 2023, while weighing offers abroad, Anovi accepted a role at Crossroads, a music academy in Kochi. “Prior to that, in 2017, I had taught at a private school in Kochi for a short period. About five to six months. So the culture here was familiar to me. I used to tell my family that though Kerala and Nagaland are on two corners of India, the way people live and interact is very similar — open-minded, friendly, and warm. I have never felt lonely in Kerala. This helped me make my decision,” Anovi says.
At Crossroads, he teaches voice and the Trinity syllabus, but goes beyond it by encompassing elements of world music, pop, contemporary, etc. Anovi also organises regular recitals. “In many schools, music is just a filler subject, one hour a week. That can’t build real musicians. We want to change that,” he says.
Kerala Singing Ambassadors
It was also at Crossroads that Anovi launched his most ambitious project yet: the Kerala Singing Ambassadors, a professional choir with a vision as wide as its name. “My dream is that one day, these kids will represent Kerala around the world,” he says.
Founded last year with about 30 members, the choir already has three arms: the main choir itself, the Tela (Hebrew for ‘Child of God’) choir, for children, and the Tabernacle, envisioned for older participants seeking healing and community. Unlike traditional church choirs, their repertoire spans from Christian hymns to love songs, pop to classical.
“We practice on Fridays, and from the response I’m getting, it is taking off well. I always tell my students: don’t imitate the voices you hear on YouTube or Spotify. You have one voice, your own. Sing in that voice,” Anovi says. According to him, if someone says, ‘You sang beautifully like that singer, ’ that’s not a compliment.
On the choir’s future, Anovi says, “There’s huge potential,” and points to the example of The Nagaland Chamber Choir, which recently won two gold medals in South Korea, and The Nagaland Madrigal Singers, which triumphed in Australia/New Zealand. “These competitions are judged by professional musicians. And to win is a great honour. That’s the standard we aim for.” Anovi says.
Beyond music
But the choir’s mission goes beyond accolades. “Our youth are wasting their lives on drugs. We want to give them purpose, a healthy community,” Anovi stresses. “Choir is not just about singing. It’s about building friendships, finding confidence, and healing.”
The choir’s performances are already creating a stir. At a music event earlier this year, audiences stayed seated long after most of the programme had ended, waiting for the Ambassadors to perform. Dressed in black outfits with Kerala motifs, they sang with a maturity that belied their age.
The choir’s inclusivity is key. “Even if you can’t sing, you can join,” says Anovi. “Play an instrument, design costumes, help backstage — everyone has a role. It’s about building a big, healthy community. To find friends, fight loneliness, and even overcome depression.”
And the response has been heartening. “When students win competitions, their parents send me messages of gratitude,” Anovi says. “Even playback singers and band members are now coming for training, realising voice technique matters.”
Talent pool
For now, the Kerala Singing Ambassadors rehearse for a performance in Bengaluru. But Anovi’s dreams stretch further: a full-fledged conservatory in Kerala. “Talent is immense here,” he says. “If we build a conservatory, bring in real teachers, even start an opera house, Kerala could be on the world music map. Why should our kids have to go abroad when we can create that here?”
It’s a vision rooted not only in ambition but in faith. “Music has always been part of my life — from drumming on a church bench as a child to now leading a choir. I believe it can heal, inspire, and transform. That’s what we want to give Kerala,” says Anovi.
“While I still harbour a dream to become a conductor, my mission now, and perhaps my greatest reward, is to see a student I trained perform internationally.”