Choir aims to scoop title with fire and soul of Africa
THE 55 members of the awardwinning Kearsney College choir hope to bring home gold from the 10th Orientale Concentus International Choral Festival in which they represent Africa in Singapore next month.
When the Sunday Tribune visited the school on Friday, the boys were hard at rehearsals, fine-tuning their melodies and choreography to ensure they deliver a vibrant and energetic performance.
“This is my first international tour with the choir so I’m quite excited. I’m looking forward to see how we compare to other choirs from around the world,” said Grade 11 pupil Tim Bean.
More than 100 choirs are expected to participate in the festival and Kearsney’s will be the only one from Africa. Its repertoire includes classical, pop and indigenous music.
Matric pupil Ntinga Tshalala said most of the choir members had competition experience from the World Choir Games and they hoped their unique African flair would impress the judges.
“We have 12 minutes to deliver a world-class performance and I’m confident we will,” he said.
Head of the 13-time World Choir Games champion choir, Wandile Linda, said all the boys showed dedication to their music but had also not neglected academics and most played sports.
“The Kearsney College Choir has a rich history of doing really well at international competitions so when we have to protect that legacy and tradition. We are going to Singapore with our minds on the gold,” he said.
He said they knew they were going into a competition that could be seen as being above their league because they would be up against professional choirs, but “we bring that fire and soul from Africa and our performance will be a breath of fresh air”.
He particularly liked the folklore songs that the choir would sing, which included a gospel song, Avulekile Amasango, and famous Zulu classics such as Bayete Inkosi by Tom Inglis.
Choirmaster Marshell Lombard praised the boys for their dedication and committing to six-hour weekly rehearsals, which have increased to 10 in preparation for the competition.
“Second best is not an option so we are going there with only the first position in mind,” Lombard said.