Cape Town - The Stellenbosch University Choir has taken first place in the prestigious International Choir Games, which were held in Sochi, Russia.
Overjoyed members arrived in Cape Town on Tuesday, boasting gold medals they won in three categories.
The competition, which is held biannually, is regarded as the biggest international choir competition in the world. This year more than 300 choirs from 87 nations participated.
Choir conductor André van der Merwe said: “It was such a great experience for my choir to get this chance in life. Many of the choir members will never get an opportunity at that level to be ambassadors, not only for Stellenbosch University, but for the country as well. I still can’t believe we did that well. It’s all just a blessing. It was my first experience of Russia, so it was quite an overwhelming feeling.”
Van der Merwe said he was impressed with how the country had hosted the competition, describing the atmosphere as “warm and welcoming”.
He said he noticed the interest the Russians had towards South Africa and the culture, and how they responded to the choir singing at the games.
“In this regard I would say the World Choir Games gives people opportunities to not only share their cultures, but to see what makes each country unique. In a South African context I was proud to share our heritage and show the world that through singing you can unite nations, not only in one country but all over the world.”
The choir competed in contemporary music and presented songs especially composed for the event. They sang in sacred music, a capella and spiritual music.
Van der Merwe said: “My favourite was singing the spiritual music, which originates from Africa. It was more than incredible and we also received the highest marks of the competition. I am more than excited about everything. Many of our choir members couldn’t afford to travel abroad, but our offices, managed by Saartjie Botha, did incredible work by getting sponsors.
“I’m grateful for what our management team did to assist us.”
Choir member Andrea Visagie, 21, described the experience as “amazing”. “The trip was exciting for me, despite the hot weather It was amazing just getting to represent South Africa.
Bandile Msimanga, 21, said the trip was a life-changing experience for him. “It’s my first year being in the choir, so everything is new for me, but it was really life-changing. I’m happy we won after all the hard work.
Luthando Siboya, 21, a first-year medical student, said: “The people were very welcoming and Russia is very beautiful. I was surprised when I got there because people usually paint a different picture of the place. I spent most of my time using Google translate. It was one great place I’ll always remember.
“Who would have thought that at the age of 21 I would be going to Russia to sing at the World Choir Games? This was the highest achievement for me.”
The next Choir Games are scheduled to take place in South Africa in 2018.
Cape Argus