Choir festival hits the right notes
FAIRLAND – Sound of the Nation and African Sweet Melodies choirs take home the top honours in their respective category at the Old Mutual Choir Festival.
Beautiful voices echoed throughout the Mosaïek Theatre in Fairland as the Old Mutual Choir Festival got underway on the weekend with 19 Gauteng choirs competing to represent Gauteng at Nationals.
Sound of the Nation choir took home the top honours in the large choir category (49 – 60 members), and the African Sweet Melodies won in the standard choir category with between 30 and 48 members.
Old Mutual sponsorship manager, Bandile Mngoma, said that the competition had been running for over 39 years and that there was plenty of talent to choose from. “People come from far and wide to come and watch the choirs battle it out every year. This competition is one of the most coveted, and the competing choirs are required to sing two pieces each,” he said. Mngoma explained that the choirs are required to sing one African and one western song for the competition.
Mngoma added that a new and exciting element to the festival was added as Zimbabwe and Botswana will host regional competitions for the first time. “In the past, choirs from Zimbabwe and Botswana took part in the Limpopo and North West regional competitions, respectively but now they would be hosting in their own back yard,” he explained.
He added that all the choirs have gone through a demanding audition process, which ensured an exceptionally high standard of performances. “We congratulate all the winners although the ultimate winners are the public who are inspired, healed and moved by the music,” he said.
He pointed out that the winning choirs coming in first, second and third in the large category walked away with R10 000, R9 000 and R8 000 respectively, while standard category winners, won R8 000, R7 000 and R6 000 for the top three positions.
The competition will head to the Eastern Cape where only one top choir will represent their province at the nationals and only one choir will be crowned champions in December.
Details: Old Mutual Emerging Markets Group Communications, 011 217 1810
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