Polokwane Choral Society – a legacy worth joining
To celebrate their 40 year existence in the choir industry, the Polokwane Choral Society recently invited several international and local choirs to sing with them during their week long music festival.
POLOKWANE – The festival was hosted at the Polokwane Library Gardens Auditorium from Monday, 16 July to Saturday, 21 July. (Read more about the festival in this week’s Bonus Review)
The Polokwane Choral Society is a not-for-profit, community-based, adult choir from Polokwane in the province of Limpopo
During the celebration Choral conductor and Director of the Polokwane Choral Society, Matlakala Bopape encouraged the youth of Limpopo to join their musical legacy.
“We have grown and with much hard work and dedication, have come a long way as a choir and would love to see this type of music grow even after we have retired.”
She added that the choir has represented the province and country abroad and have made several lasting friendships as far afield as Switzerland, Canada, New York, Spain, Germany, Italy and the U.K.
The choral society practices every Sunday from 15:00 at the Polokwane Library Gardens Auditorium. Anyone who is interested in auditioning can contact Rose Molotana (Secretary of the Polokwane Choral Society) on 071 316 0383.
More about the Polokwane Choral Society
The Polokwane Choral Society South Africa was founded in 1977 with the aim to bridge ethnic gaps in South Africa by fostering mutual understanding between people of different cultures and viewpoints resulting in the choir becoming SA’s first choir to be racially mixed in 1996.
This group’s primary mission has been to preserve and celebrate native South African Music by singing in most of 11 South Africa’s official languages. It’s repertoire ranging from tribal songs to hymns from the African church traditions, South African tonic sol-fa music, and songs of struggle against Apartheid.
Under the inspired direction of Matlakala Bopape and the choir’s late founder, Sefokolo H.H. Ramokgopha, the choir has won numerous prizes at South African regional and national music competitions and festivals since its beginning. Ms Bopape has also captured awards as best conductor. The choir has appeared abroad- performing at the 1995 eisteddfod in Neuchatel, Switzerland; conducting workshops in Italy with the tradional Vermont folk group Village Harmony, giving U.S. concerts in New York, Washington, Chicago, Detriot and Hartford, and Newfoundland’s Festival 500, Sharing the voices, in 1999; and returning to Canada in 2001. In 2002, the choir was invited to conduct workshops on African music and dance in the U.S. and U.K.. In 2003, it hosted the African Meropa International Choral Festival, the first such event in Limpopo Province, and the first folk-singing festival in South Africa. In 2012 the choir attended a festival in Barcelona where the conductor also conducted workshops to choirs from Poland, Argentina, Mexico, etc. Not only do they focus on music but also community upliftment where they seek to unleash the talents of South African disadvantaged youth have been channelled into organized drama, dance groups and a 70-voice youth choir that feeds into the larger Choral Society.
https://www.citizen.co.za/review-online/269123/voices-of-international-choir-heard-in-polokwane/
Readers can learn more about the society by following them on Facebook Polokwane Choral Society or by visiting the Polokwane Library Gardens Auditorium to view their wall of fame.
