SIXTY-SIX choristers from the Cantare Children’s Choir will be representing South Gauteng and South Africa at the World Choir Games.
From July 4 to 14, Pretoria will be buzzing with music as the World Choir Games will be hosted in South Africa this year. This event is the first of its kind in South Africa (and on the African continent, for that matter) and will feature over 300 choirs with 16 000 participants from 60 countries.
One of the participating choirs is the Alberton-established Cantare Children’s Choir. With around 66 talented voices coming from all over Gauteng, this choir has won many international awards.
Many of the choristers are from Alberton, but around 50 per cent of the young voices are from disadvantaged communities, making choir especially proud to be in the World Choir Games.
Cantare’s choristers come from several schools from Alberton, including Laerskool Randhart, Alberton High School, Alberview Primary School, Waterstone College, Hoërskool Dinamika, Brackenhurst Primary School, Bracken High School, Laerskool Generaal Alberts, Kenton Primary School, Laerskool Orion, The Bridging Gap, Marion Brothers and Marais Viljoen Hoërskool. Other schools include Monument Primary School (Krugersdorp), Dalmondeor Primary School (Johannesburg), Setsing Primary School and Tiisetsong Secondary School (Thokoza), and Eketsang Secondary School and Mohobeng Primary School (Katlehong).
Ida Strydom, founder of Cantare Children’s Choir, commented: “The choristers worked extremely hard and are super excited about the event. We’re just going to try to do our best and to enjoy ourselves as ambassadors of our region and country. We’re looking forward to this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“This isn’t the first time our choir will be representing the country and the province at the World Choir Games, and it will not be the last time either. They previously attended the Games in Germany, China and Austria. With many new, talented voices joining our choir every year, we know we will keep the tradition of choral singing alive for years to come.”
Some famous local voices have come out of this choir. These include Joshua na die Reën, Kyle Grant (from the group Adam), Emile Welman and Eduard Jansen van Rensburg (from the group Overtone), Hanno Zeeman (from the group Navi Redd), Anaïs and Tamlyn Geldenhuis (an upcoming jazz artist).
About the World Choir Games
The 10th annual World Choir Games will take place over two competition phases with competition performances, celebration concerts and legacy concerts at several venues across Pretoria.
Event passes give audiences access to all competition performances across the different venues and can be purchased for the day, the week or both weeks. Opening and Closing ceremonies will be broadcasted live on KykNet Nou, DSTV channel 146 on 4 and 14 July.
There are two competitions at the World Choir Games – the Open Competition and the Champions Competition where Cantare will participate.
The Champions Competition is designed for experienced choirs that have already proven their level of proficiency at other international competitions. The winners will be awarded golden, silver or bronze medals and each category winner gets the title and trophy “Champion of the World Choir Games 2018”.
The Open Competition is open to any choir as it is designed for choirs of any level of proficiency and explicitly those without any or only a little competition experience. The participants get to know their artistic level via the evaluation of the jury and are awarded a golden, silver or bronze medal.
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