Durban school choir set to dazzle New York

● A Durban school choir is set to woo US audiences by belting out harmonious African-inspired melodies at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City (NYC).

Forty-nine pupils from Reddam House’s Umhlanga’s choir will travel to The Big Apple in June as part of the 21-year old KwaZuluNatal school’s first international tour.

Choirmaster Russell Scott said the trip is a milestone for the school, its pupils from grade 9 to 12 and the country as they will also perform at the iconic St Patrick’s Cathedral and the prestigious Dalton school in New York.

“We are one of the few African ensembles to perform in their own capacity on that stage. The choir group has grown and has worked hard,” said Scott.

The choir — which includes 13 former Drakensberg Boys Choir School pupils — will be accompanied by three staff members who include executive head Adam Rogers.

He said their selection followed a rigorous audition process where they had to submit videos of their performances which won the hearts of US selectors.

In preparing their programme, the school tried to include a diverse range of African styles.

“They are going to be singing in Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans and English. We are also planning to put up a show with the attires. We have new performance outfits with a distinctly African touch,” Scott said.

“We hope to bring the house down with the infectious nature of African rhythm and African pulse.”

Having been with the school for the last six years, Scott said the pupil numbers have doubled and now has over a 100 pupils in each grade.

Its musical offerings also evolved from an orchestra to 14 musical ensembles across different age groups.

“As the school has grown, so too has the performing arts department, both in size and the standard,” said Scott.

He said the community had rallied behind the choir to make the trip a reality for some of the pupils.

“We have been very fortunate that the Umhlanga community got behind us. A number of initiatives started off last year and actually culminated today as we host a large outdoor proms concert at the school.

“We have an impressive selection of performances which include the KZN youth orchestra, Ashton, Northland and Michaelhouse schools,” he said.

Scott said their long-standing partnership with the Drakensberg school, renowned for grooming musical talent, often sees them sharing the stage.

“We try to get there at least once a year with our chamber choir. Reddam is a wonderful and a welcoming environment. I guess most Drakies boys see the progressive nature of our school as a big plus,” Scott said.

Choir captain Aiden McArthur recalled how he was motivated to join Reddam.

“Mr Scott spoke about the progressive future of the school and how it is an accepting environment — and no judgment. At that point Reddam was not one of my choices, but through the help of my mum we did some research,” McArthur said.

A bubbly Sisipho Ndlovu, 16, said since the announcement of their trip their excitement has been palpable.

“You could see everybody’s energy and we have become happier. We just cannot contain our excitement.”

For Lia Naidoo, 16, who started playing the piano at the age of six, the trip is a bonus after the pandemic.

“It’s the best experience that one can ever go through in high school. My family is as thrilled as I am. It has always been a dream for me.”

Naidoo credits the choir for giving her confidence. While she loves singing, Naidoo plans to follow in her father’s footsteps in medicine, but music will remain her hobby.

McArthur plans to study a career in music psychology while Ndlovu plans to study film and events management.

The Drakensberg boys choir will be jetting off to perform in the UK in September.

Executive head Dave Cato said: “UK audiences will be able to delight in the renowned vocal and rhythmic qualities of this esteemed boys’ choir and their balanced repertoire and prowess in both classical choral concert music by Mozart and Carl Orff, as well as African and Afro-pop genres made famous by Miriam Makeba, Mango Groove and Johnny Clegg, bringing the kind of music to UK stages that made Lebo M’s Lion King score such a West End hit.”