| Drakensberg Boys Choir School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Drakensberg KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, |
|
| Information | |
| School type | Private |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Christian |
| Established | 1967 |
| Founder | John Tungay |
| Status | Open |
| Grades | 4-9 |
| Gender | Male |
| Website | www.dbchoir.info |
Drakensberg Boys Choir School is a school near the small town of Winterton, in the heart of the Drakensberg mountain range in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
The school educates the members of Drakensberg Boys Choir. It was founded in 1967 and claims to be the only choir school in Africa. Enrollment is approximately 100 boys aged 9 to 15. The school has a 600-seat auditorium constructed in 1995 and holds weekly concerts. The Choir has toured the USA, Europe, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mauritius and many African countries.
The mission statement of the Drakensberg Boys Choir School is to prepare boys for life and leadership through excellence in music, academics, sport and social enrichment in a Christian environment. The school emphasizes the interdependence between the school itself and the choir and that neither one would be viable without the other.
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The school opened on January 23, 1967, initially to 20 pupils that had been selected from auditions held across South Africa. Originally envisioned by John Tungay, the school's founding members are Leslie Legg, Begley Goodchild and Rennie Agnew. After a short time the enrolment increased to a little over 100 where it has since stayed. The boys, aged 9–15, are allocated in grade 4–9.
One persistent challenge for the school has been the high cost of managing a specialised school with specialised staff in a somewhat isolated area in South Africa.
The natural surroundings of the Choir School, the Champagne Valley, serves as an inspiration to the choir.
Set on a 100-acre (0.40 km2) estate in the Drakensberg, the facilities at the school have from inception been based on a "farm school" structure. Facilities at the school remain rather primitive, although in 2006 a brand new academic facility was opened. The construction of a six hundred seat auditorium in 1995 with modern sound and lighting equipment, allowed the Choir School a greater audience to its weekly Wednesday concerts, and its numerous festivals throughout the year. Previously there had only been a small 80 seater hall. There has also been construction of a new boarding establishment, of which phase one was completed at the start of 2009. This is part of a strategic plan to upgrade the facilities in partnership with corporate supporters. The size of the school dictates small classes.
From an early age, the Drakensberg Boys Choir has toured internationally, including North America, the Far East, across the continent of Africa as well as extensively in Europe.
The choir has been to the United States four times.
In Europe they have sung in the UK, Hungary, Switzerland, Italy, France, Portugal, Greece, Poland and, by Papal request, at the Vatican City before 25,000 people.
The choir has toured across much of Southern Africa, singing in Kenya, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Botswana and Namibia, and it has also been in Egypt. It has undertaken tours to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mauritius, Japan, Turkey, Finland, Australia and Scandinavia.
On the invitation of the Min On Cultural Organisation the choir has toured Japan in 1997, 2001 and 2002.
Conductors of the Drakensberg Boys Choir have included:
As of 2011[update] the choir is conducted by the school's director of music, Johann van der Sandt, from the University of Pretoria and Bragi Þór Valsson from Iceland.
The choir attempts to reflect the multi-faceted cultures that make up South Africa. It has created a new trend in the international choral scene that transcends the conventional. This includes a recent addition of more modern art music. The choir is internationally acclaimed for its unique African repertoire, containing various traditional works like "Shosholoza", and "Night Sounds" where the choir imitates the sounds of the African Bush. They also perform a Gumboot Dance, which originated in the South African mines. Using authentic African instruments and body percussion as accompaniment, the choir performs traditional African works as have never been experienced before.
The Drakensberg Boys Choir School has released CDs with content ranging from traditional African music to Andrew Lloyd Webber.