Local choir wins prestigious competition
Local choir group Voices of the Nation has won the prestigious Old Mutual National Choir Festival competition.
Local choir group Voices of the Nation won the prestigious Old Mutual National Choir Festival competition at the Durban International Convention Centre recently.
The Sunnyside based choir competed against twelve other choirs from all over the country, said choir conductor Xolani Ngqasana.
“It has taken countless hours of rehearsals, tremendous sacrifice on everybody’s part and the choir’s undying commitment, focus and cooperation to achieve this result.”
He said the prize money was a surprise as it would help meet the choir’s financial obligations.
Voices of the Nation walked away with R158 000, beating rivals such as Gauteng choristers, Bagale chorus, Zwelitsha Adult Choir, Kopano Chorus and Sweet Sounds.
“This choir has proved to be a formidable force in choral music circles, having received top honours or placed in the top three positions in all competitions it has participated in. Voices of the Nation also performs at corporate functions and has had several appearances in the weekly choral programme Imizwilili on SABC,” said Ngqsana.
The songs that were prescribed for the choirs included Gloria, Madiba, Indla Ngamabala and Kyrie.
Old Mutual sponsorship manager Bandile Mngoma said the National Choir Festival was a huge success.
“After another successful edition of the Old Mutual National Choir Festival, we believe music is the ultimate winner.”
Mngoma expressed appreciation for additional funding from the National Lottery Board.
“We are also particularly happy about the additional funding we received from the National Lottery Board because it enables us to recognise more choirs and share the rewards more widely.”
Gauteng province was strongly represented in the competition with Gauteng Choristers in second position. Kopano Chorus came in seventh position, and the Tshwane University of Technology Ga-Rankuwa campus was in tenth place.
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