Durban — The internationally-acclaimed Kearsney College choir arrives back in Durban on Saturday (today) with another international honour, having won the overall Grand Prix award as Champions of the Golden Voices of Barcelona in Spain.
At the gala event on Wednesday night, the 54-strong choir were named winners in the Youth Choirs category.
Having also scored exceptionally high in their second category, Folklore, Kearsney were crowned overall champions of the Golden Voices of Barcelona, winning the Grand Prix award.
Most competing choirs showcased traditional performances, with members ranging from as young as 8 to as seasoned as 60. The Kearsney boys were intrigued by the diversity of other choirs’ performances, with the Ukrainian choir’s rendition leaving a particularly lasting impression.
Kearsney had the honour of being the opening and closing acts of the concert proceedings, testament to their exceptional talent and dedication.
The judges, typically stoic and reserved, were visibly impressed by the Kearsney boys’ folklore routine, rewarding the choir with a rare standing ovation. As the boys walked off stage, members of other choirs emerged from their dressing rooms to salute them – a moment of camaraderie and mutual respect underscoring the day’s achievements.
The Spanish festival included performances in churches, concert halls and marketplaces of Barcelona and the seaside resort Lloret-de-Mar.
One of the tour highlights was the opportunity to perform in the Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. It remains the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world, with construction having started in 1882.
For the past two weeks, Kearsney’s choir has taken the concert stages and venues of Europe by storm, playing to capacity venues in Germany, followed by the Barcelona competition.
They performed in the famous Elbe Philharmonic Hall in Hamburg, where tickets to the 2 100-seat venue were sold out months ahead. The boys’ superb voices and highly energetic performance style earned them standing ovations, thunderous applause and encores from audiences.
Professor Dr Horst Köhler, former president of Germany and former head of the International Monetary Fund, was the choir’s patron in his country.
The boys also wowed audiences in Lüneburg at the Leuphana University’s 1 000-seater auditorium, as well as in Bremen, Hagen and Hanover, where they performed in some beautiful and famous concert venues.
The choir’s tour repertoire in Germany included songs of freedom and the Struggle, framed in a positive way to help remember South Africa’s past, yet also looking forward to a harmonious future; a new work titled A New Tomorrow created by Kearsney director of music Bernard Krüger, using quotations by Nelson Mandela and Steve Biko; and Johnny Clegg’s Asimbonga and Osiyeza (The Crossing).
They performed Abba’s Does Your Mother Know? as part of the German programme, where audiences love the music of Abba. They also focused on the war in Ukraine, including the number 99 Red Balloons, sung in Zulu, German and English, as well as a Ukrainian rap song, Stefania, a powerful anti-war song.
Sethu Magubane, Kearsney’s 2024 head of choir, said he and the 54 touring boys had lots of fun learning to rap in Ukrainian. He toured with the College’s choir to Austria and Czechia in 2022 and said this number was a sure-fire crowd pleaser.
“Arriving in Barcelona we were met with absolute elation. Touring Germany was fantastic, but as a competitive choir we crave the world stage. Barcelona marks the highlight of our European adventure,” he said.
The Kearsney College choir boasts a long list of accolades, including 15 gold and seven silver medals at the World Choir Games (the Olympics for choirs). It has become synonymous with vibrant, energetic performances and slick, professional productions.
With its signature blend of classical, pop and indigenous music, the choir continues to grow a large international following of appreciative supporters.
Independent on Saturday