On Tuesday 4 October Zolani Youth Choir from Ashton received a request from the Cultural Affairs Provincial Office to sing both the African United Anthem (AU) and the South African National Anthem at the 20th Cultural Affairs Provincial Awards at Artscape Theatre in Cape Town.
It was clear the invitation had come from Minister Anroux Marais herself, for she had been following the choir on social media through liking their videos and sharing their posts.
They had just a few days to work on the AU song as they had never sung it before. Excitedly they accepted the challenge and executed the request to great acclaim.
“The platform was a very prestigious one as we are used to performing locally,” said Odwa Mvunge, the choirs founder and conductor, “and it is evident the world is taking note of the hard work and effort the kids invest in their music. The audience was composed of arts industry specialists and distinguished guests; it was a lifetime’s experience to open a provincial event of that magnitude. The audience was wowed by the kids’ ability to sing the music effortlessly, note for note and word for word, all from memory.”
Another big achievement for the choir was their accompaniment by the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, with which they had only 15 minutes to rehearse before the event.
“This on its own shows the professionalism and work ethic of the choir,” Mvunge said. “This was not the first time they had collaborated with renowned names in the arts; earlier this year they worked with the international choreographer Mthuthuzeli November, Zolani (Ashton)-born who’s based in London, and Mandisi Dyantyis, the jazz musician. We worked on a piece Mthuthuzeli will use in a ballet premiering soon in London.
The choir will also collaborate with Richard Cock and the Mzansi Tenors at the Silver Mountain Music Festival in Swellendam.
“These are all renowned names in the performance arts, and it is very humbling to have collaborated with them in one way or the other,” Mvunge said.
The choir has also been invited by the Office of the Premier to perform at a private function in Cape Town.
They would like to thank Ashton Secondary School, Ashton CP School, Stokvel School and H Venter Primary for their support.
For more information on joining the choir or how best to be involved with them, Mvunge can be contacted on 081 555 3789.
They are open to performing at any event as per the request so book a date for your function.
