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Durban Chamber Choir set to make a comeback

After several months of rehearsal, the Durban Chamber Choir is ready to present their new programme titled Ave Adieu.

THE ever creative and proactive Durban Chamber Choir will be presenting two spring concerts over two weekends in Hilton at the Hilton College Chapel on Sunday, October 9 at 14:30 and at St Thomas Church, Musgrave on Sunday, October 16 at 15:00.

After several months of rehearsal, the Durban Chamber Choir is ready to present their new programme titled Ave Adieu. The musical programme looks at moments of meeting and parting, as symbolised by the greetings Ave (Latin for Hail) and Adieu (French for Farewell), Latin and French being the two languages that the choir will be singing in addition to English.

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The programme explores the many shades of feeling evoked by various kinds of meeting – light-hearted cheerfulness and mystical joy – and parting – regretful sorrow, gentle nostalgia and grateful acceptance. It also ranges widely across time and space, from the Renaissance (music by Josquin des Pres, Thomas Weelkes and Orlando Gibbons), through the late 19th century (Bruckner) and early 20th century (Ravel), to the present (compositions by the young American composer Daniel Elder and the choir’s director, Christopher Cockburn).
American and Irish folk traditions will also be represented in choral arrangements of Swing Low, Shenandoah, and Quick! We Have But a Second.

This is the first series of performances for the Durban Chamber Choir since the Covid lockdown in 2020. This is also the choir’s last concert with Christopher Cockburn as their director, as he will be retiring at the end of the year.

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Tickets will be available at the door for R100, and concessions are priced at R60. After the performances, audience members can join the choir for tea, cake and conversation.

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