Durban school St Mary’s Diocesan School for Girls in Kloof is set for a high-pitched battle against some of the globe’s top choirs at the World Choir Games.
The 11-day competition is scheduled for July 3-13 in Gangneung, Republic of Korea.
St Mary’s DSG Kloof’s head of music and choir conductor Lindy van der Meulen said it was a huge honour to represent the continent internationally and that they will “bring the vibrancy of Africa”.
Van der Meulen said this would be the school’s third World Choir Games after previously appearing in the 2014 and 2018 editions, which were hosted in Latvia and South Africa respectively. She said they won the Scenic Folklore category during the 2018 edition in Pretoria.
“This year, our choir consists of 40 girls and five staff members. We elected to be involved in two categories: Scenic Pop and Scenic Folklore. Scenic pop has to deal with pop music and be combined with choreography. You’re telling a story. We have chosen a theme ‒ Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful ‒ and the songs must align with that. Within this theme, we’re challenging the norms of what beauty is and the norms imposed on women. We raise questions like, ‘What is beauty?’ and ask for girls to accept who they are.”
In scenic folklore, their story surrounds “the walk to freedom of South Africa” and “starts with Miriam Makeba’s ‘Click Song’ and moves through rural sounds right through to the Sophiatown scenes to a protest song, and then we end with Mi Casa’s ‘These Streets’. We’re telling a journey of SA musically, socially and politically”.
Van der Meulen said it was not only a school-based event and they could compete against professional choirs.
Kwandile Mthethwa and Daisy Kruger-Rothquel are the head and vice-head of the tour choir respectively and they look forward to competing abroad.
Kruger-Rothquel said to prepare for the games, they have had additional rehearsals to their normal schedule and practised up to seven hours in a day. Mthethwa said the girls encouraged each other because “we do know our work, what we’re doing and that helps build confidence for going internationally”.
Their musical journeys have been completely different.
Kruger-Rothquel said she grew up in a family where she always sang with her parents and was a part of her primary school choir before St Mary’s, while Mthethwa didn’t join choir in primary school and was discouraged by her parents because they said she couldn’t sing.
Mthethwa said: “I heard the St Mary’s Choir in my Grade 7 year and they won the games that year, so I was inspired and wanted to be a part of that.” She added that she expects the choir to win as well as bond and grow together.
The Independent on Saturday