About 1 400 singers and members of the public will join voices at Cape Town’s Groote Kerk on Saturday 17 October for World Singing Day, turning the historic church into a mass choir celebrating unity and shared humanity.
The event, presented by The Heartsong Collective in partnership with Uthando South Africa, will feature South African music icon Vicky Sampson and Khayelitsha-based singer-songwriter Mohau Moahloli.
Now in its 15th year, World Singing Day brings communities together through music, with the Cape Town event inviting people of all ages, backgrounds and musical abilities to participate.
Founded in 2012 by Colorado musician Scott Johnson, World Singing Day encourages people worldwide to sing together under the message: “Sing together. Unite the world.”
Unlike a conventional concert, the audience will not simply watch the performances but become part of the choir, with lyrics provided so that even those without formal singing experience can join in.
Heartsong Collective founder Lynne Poulsen said the aim was to make singing accessible to everyone.
“This is not simply a concert. The audience becomes the choir. We are inviting Cape Town to put aside the idea that you have to be an accomplished singer to participate. If you have a voice, you have a place in this choir,” she said.
Local choirs unite
The event will feature singers from several established choirs, including the Boland Chamber Choir, South African Youth Choir, Treble Clefs Choir and Cape Peninsula Youth Choir, alongside The Heartsong Collective and other musicians.
The programme will include Lionel Richie’s “Love Oh Love”, “Room for Everyone” — the official World Singing Day song — and Johnny Clegg’s “Osiyeza”. A South African adaptation of Matisyahu’s “One Day” will also feature.
Boland Chamber Choir musical director Luthando Klaas said the event offered an opportunity for people from different backgrounds to connect through music.
“Music has a way of reminding us that, beneath our different stories, we can still find one rhythm and one voice,” he said.
Elaine Johnson of the Treble Clefs Choir said the event demonstrated how individual voices could combine to create something greater.
“You don’t have to be the loudest or the most experienced singer to contribute to the whole,” she said.
Music for a greater purpose
The event also aims to support community initiatives, with a portion of ticket proceeds going to the Red Cross Memorial Children’s Trust and SA Children’s Home.
Five choirs will receive sponsored participation to help make the event accessible to singers who might otherwise be unable to take part.
Poulsen said the initiative was about more than bringing people together for a performance.
“This is about more than filling a concert hall. It is about widening access, strengthening community and using music as a vehicle for connection and positive social change,” she said.
Sampson, who will make a special guest appearance, said music could help bridge divisions and give people a way to express their hopes and dreams.
“I believe that it is of utmost importance that every human being has the opportunity to express their fears, hopes and dreams, across the spectrum of colour, social standing, age and religion,” she said.
The Cape Town event builds on The Heartsong Collective’s 2025 World Singing Day gathering at Kalk Bay Community Hall and forms part of the international celebration held on the third Saturday of October.
Choir members, families, school and church choirs, community organisations and members of the public are invited to participate. The event will take place at theGroote Kerk in Adderley Street from 18:30 to 21:00. And tickets are available via Quicket.
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