Kyalami choristers strike chords at soirée

Choristers from three Midrand schools banded together to serenade guests at the recent Kyalami School Group (KSG) Soirée.

Singers from Kyalami Preparatory School, Beaulieu Preparatory School, and Beaulieu College treated guests to an evening of music at Beaulieu College in mid-June

The KSG Soirée is an annual showcase of talent from the three-member schools of the group.

Head of Kyalami Prep’s arts and culture department Beverly Chalmers said they have been hosting the talent show for over 13 years now.

“The only time we did not do it was in 2020 and 2021 because we couldn’t gather. All three schools gather as our cultural showcase. Our bands, choirs, and marimba bands perform. Beaulieu Preparatory School has a string ensemble that performs as well,” Chalmers explained.

“It is lovely for the prep parents, who attend, to see the cultural journey their children will go on. They get to see the progression from the junior bands to the senior bands even within the college.

“A standout moment was the mass choir item — all three choirs practised individually and then the choirmaster brought them together on the day of the event. We ended the event with the mass choir. It gave us goosebumps. It was really beautiful.”

Kyalami Prep learners Ziyanda Mbekeni and Azariah Pillay participated in the musical celebration.

The Grade 7 learners are both choir members who also play marimbas and play in the school band.

“My favourite performance was probably the marimba because it was very upbeat and lively,” said Azariah.

“We performed Fire is Low [by Freshlyground], which was also sung by the choir. I enjoyed Beaulieu College’s performance of [Adele’s] Rolling in the Deep on the marimba. They interpreted it in their own way and made it more upbeat.

“I also enjoyed the performance of [Ciara’s] Level Up — everyone seemed to love it. People were singing along, there were even some people at the back who were dancing. When the song ended, we gave them a big encore.”

The children have been practising for various lengths of time with their music teachers — Marina Solomon, Lekoba Monini and Lee-Roy Handley.

“We worked on the song for about four practices for marimba. We spent half a term working on the songs for choir and for the band we’ve been preparing for since the beginning of the year,” said Ziyanda.

She said it was arduous work but all musicians learned patience and persistence.

“For example, in marimba practice, Mr Monini was very patient with us and didn’t show frustration – even when we were struggling to understand. He was always happy to see us.”

Music teacher Marina Solomon said it was gratifying to see all the hard work pay off with beautiful performances.

“Our children did very, very well — the highlight was seeing everyone’s talents from all three schools,” concluded Solomon.

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