| Stellenbosch University Choir | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Stellenbosch University |
| Founding | 1936 |
| Genre | Varied |
| Members | ~120 (2010) |
| Affiliation | Stellenbosch University |
| Awards |
World Choir Games, Shaoxing 2010:
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| Website | http://student.sun.ac.za/koor/ |
Stellenbosch University Choir (Afrikaans: Stellenbosch Universiteitskoor) is a Choir attached to Stellenbosch University. Founded in 1936, it is the oldest choir in South Africa.[1] The current conductor, André van der Merwe, was appointed at the beginning of 2003.
The Stellenbosch University Choir has toured overseas extensively and won critical acclaim for its performances.[2] The choir is viewed as a leading South African choral ensemble.[3]
A definite highlight for the choir in 2004 was their participation with the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra in Sinfonia Africana by Capetonian composer Hendrik Hofmeyr.[4] This groundbreaking symphony (with an Afrikaans text) is scored for soprano, choir and orchestra.
In September 2006 the Stellenbosch University Choir celebrated 70 years of choral activities with a reunion – 400 former members attended the festive occasion. This reunion was living testimony to the positive impact that the choir has had on choral activities in South Africa since 1936.[5]
In September 2007 the Stellenbosch University Choir hosted a choral festival (KUESTA) where South African university choirs gathered in Stellenbosch for a weekend of choral music.[5]
By the end of 2008, the choir released a CD, entitled Laudate.[6] The CD includes a combination of old favourites as well as contemporary choral music, well-known spirituals and music from South Africa. The CD also contains their award winning repertoire for the 2008 World Choir Games.[7]
2011 saw a tour to the Southern Cape[8] as well as a successful visit to the University of Pretoria for the bi-annual KUESTA choral festival.[9] The choir also held their 75th reunion over the first weekend of September 2011, which was attended by over 300 former members of the choir.
In the South African context, it becomes increasingly important for the choir to reach out to choirs in less fortunate communities.[10] During 2005 and 2006 the choir hosted an orphan children’s choir from Kayamandi – not only teaching music skills to the children, but also making the University Choir aware of the value of community service.[11]
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The choir was founded in 1936 by William Morris and has established itself as one of the best choirs in South Africa and the world!
Being the oldest continually running choir in the country, the Stellenbosch University Choir has a rich legacy that is celebrated by old members every five years at the reunion. The last reunion was in 2006 and marked the 70 year anniversary of the establishment of the choir. The reunion was attended by over 400 members, both past and present, and from all the corners of the world.
The current as well as future success of the choir depends largely on the unique heritage and spirit within the choir community which is supported by the choir members, family and friends, as well as the newly established Friends of the Stellenbosch University Choir society which is open to all past members and supporters of the choir.
Currently the choir is ranked as the second best in the world by Musica Mundi. They are only 3 points behind the Jauniešu Koris Kamer from Latvia, conducted by Maris Sirmais, who are in first place.[12]
The Choir took part in the World Choir Games in Shaoxing, China, in July, and won the "Champion of the World Choir Games" title in two categories. They received 95.75 for the category: Mixed Choirs and 90.88 for the category: Musica Contemporanea (Contemporary Music).
The World Choir Games is the largest event of its kind. From 15 to 26 July 2010, Shaoxing hosted more than 20 000 choristers from 472 choirs and 83 countries.[13] South Africa was represented by three choirs: Stellenbosch University Choir, Tygerberg Children's Choir and Kearsney College Choir.[14] Stellenbosch University Choir received the highest score (95.75) of any choir participating in the competition, in the category for which they competed against 28 other choirs.[15]
Andre van der Merwe, conductor of the Stellenbosch University Choir, said after the competition: “I am extremely proud of the discipline, passion and dedication of the 112 choir members!” Van der Merwe added that the choir received good television, radio and print exposure, and were excellent ambassadors for their country. They also took part in the champions’ concert, where they performed two competition works and a spiritual.
In July 2008, the choir participated in the World Choir Games[16] in Graz, Austria, where they received a gold medal in each of the three categories in which they participated. The choir was amongst 22 other choirs from South Africa who were selected to participate in this competition of more than 400 choirs. They won the category "Musica Sacra: Open Category" with 92.13 points and placed second in the category "Gospel & Spiritual" with 92.13 points. In the category "Mixed Youth Choirs", the choir came in fourth with 85.25 points.[17]
As of August 2008 the Choir ranks as the top choir in the category Musica Sacra (Sacred Music) and the fourth best choir overall in the world according to the Musica Mundi World Ranking List![18]
In July 2004, the choir won the category "Youth Choirs" at the World Choir Games in Bremen, Germany with 93.13 points.[19]
Every year, the Choir sets out to improve on work done during the previous year. In this respect, there is a definite focus with regards to the repertoire. The repertoire is usually assembled in a way as to inspire both the choir members as well as the general audience, and to prepare the choir for future performances and events such as the World Choir Games.
With international events such as these, the repertoire mainly consists of pieces specifically selected to contribute to the overall success of the choir in the specific category of participation. These pieces are often vocally and artistically challenging as well as innovative and unique, with a major focus on modern compositions and uniquely adapted classical favourites. Due to the choir's international acclaim, they have had international composers request the choir to do an official recording of the composer's work, and often works sung by the choir have never been recorded and/or very rarely performed internationally.
The Stellenbosch University Choir records their full repertoire at the end of each year, usually in September, in the modern Endler Hall at the Conservatory of the University of Stellenbosch. The goal is to release an album every two years, although some exceptions have been made. Other recordings include live concert recordings and are usually sold for a limited time after the recorded performance. These usually include only some of the works prepared as part of the year's repertoire.
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