Boys' choir gives hope to turmoiled South AfricaA hush grips the auditorium as the long-awaited concert by one of the world's most renowned chorales gets underway.
by Agence France-Presse
21-12-2022 17:55
in Art and Artists
Drakensberg Boys School Choir launches into Vivaldi's Gloria and a collective thrill runs through the audience. Image from Twitter/Anna Sanfilippo
A hush grips the auditorium as the long-awaited concert by one of the world's most renowned chorales gets underway.
--
Wearing neatly-ironed shirts and white frills over royal-blue waistcoats, the Drakensberg Boys School Choir launches into Vivaldi's Gloria and a collective thrill runs through the audience.
The music and the dramatic backdrop of the Drakensberg mountains set the seal on the choir's first in-person Christmas concert since the Covid pandemic.
The ensemble, whose members are aged between nine and 15 years, is one South Africa's finest cultural exports its most racially and culturally diverse chorale, and a beacon of hope in a troubled country.
--
ALSO READ: Mondrian painting hung upside down for 77 years
The choir uses music as vehicle for social mobility, for academic success (and) personality-building in a country that has been riddled by issues of race, said Pitika Ntulia, a cultural historian.
The school is almost magical, the location in the mountains the fact that we can sing almost in the mountains everyday, it's amazing, said Nicholas Robinson, 14, standing tall on manicured lawns, sporting a black blazer.
--
A fellow student at the boarding school, built on a 100-acre (40-hectare) estate in the Champagne Valley near the border with Lesotho, Ethan Palagangwe, 12, hails from Mitchells Plain, a crime-riddled Cape Town suburb.
Palagangwe landed a scholarship out of 1,600 boys auditioned after his mother responded to an ad in a local newspaper.
Born to a law-enforcement officer and a singer, the short and round-faced boy smiles, reminiscing how he started singing at home, aged eight.
We would sing out of nowhere, singing karaoke, he says.
ALSO READ: Rejuvenation: Foxwood Festival returns with purpose
He is now one of the school's top musical achievers.
Boarding and tuition at the school cost between $8,600 and $11,500 annually, depending on age.
Palagangwe's fees are jointly raised between well-wishers in a scholarship scheme dubbed back-a-buddy .
Rainbow voices' The multilingual choir's repertoire ranges from classics to contemporary pop and traditional tunes.
This is the only choir in the world that can sing in any genre, boasts conductor Vaughan van Zyl, mopping his brow between rehearsals at the height of the South African summer.
ALSO READ: 2023 National Arts Festival: Artists wanted!
Give these boys anything classical, pop, African traditional music from other countries different languages sacred music, secular music, they can do it all.
Styled on Austria's Vienna Boys choir, the Drakensberg chorale started 55 years ago at the height of the apartheid era with 21 boys, all white.
Today, it has a multi-racial roll call of 70 students, who perform at home or around the globe when they are not busy with lessons and exams.
One of the choir's proudest moments was to stage a show for Nelson Mandela atop the Drakensberg mountain.
In that choir you hear the rainbow voices, said historian Ntuli, in reference to the Rainbow Nation term used by Desmond Tutu to describe post-apartheid South Africa.
ALSO READ: Black women, young people excluded from ownership in film & TV
Lulo Dlulane, 11, recently joined the school. He wants to pursue a career in music production and composing.
Music is a language of all sorts, he said, clutching award certificates he had just received. It connects people and just unites us .
His mother, Lungelwa Dlulane, a 39-year-old music-loving medical doctor, said she heard about the choir as a teenager, and prayed to have a son so she could send him to the school.
Boys become men' The gumboot dance, a uniquely South African dance performed while wearing wellington boots to powerful percussion, is one the boys flawlessly transition to after singing classics.
Choreography and dancing is such a (big) part of what we do, said Van Zyl.
ALSO READ: Horizon & Vessel: Boschendal & Norval Foundation unveil new exhibitions
Baritone William Berger, 43, performs opera internationally, thanks to his grounding at the school.
What distinguishes the Drakensberg from other choirs is this full-bodied African sound, not like this light European kind of typical boys' choir noise, he said.
The school's first black student, Loyiso Bala, joined in 1990, four years before apartheid was swept away. Today, he is one of the country's most popular musicians.
Packing academic responsibilities, sports and a daily two-hour music rehearsals, is no mean feat.
It's ultimately through that very challenge they build resilience and self-discipline, said school head Dave Cato.
ALSO READ: RIP | Iconic SA film and arts critic Barry Ronge dies
Those precious skills will be put to use when the children leave the cocoon of the school.
They will have to find a way forward in life, in a country beset by crime, poverty and the lingering wounds of apartheid.
The school is a place where boys become men, said Bongi Msimang-Luthuli, mother of pupil Khwezilomso Msimang, 15.
Drakensburg Boys Choir .#goosebumps .#StarlightClassics in concert with @RMB_GM pic.twitter.com/UsiAy2C0R5
Lynda-lou (@082lyndalou) September 9, 2017
By Susan Njanji Agence France-Presse
Do you have a news tip-off? WhatsApp us on 060 011 0211
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
Boys' choir gives hope to turmoiled South AfricaA hush grips the auditorium as the long-awaited concert by one of the world's most renowned chorales gets underway.
