Can you sing? Maspala is looking for you

MUNICIPALITY is looking for singers.

The City of Johannesburg Arts, Culture and Heritage is looking for choirs.

The choirs will join the eight annual edition of the Joburg Choral Festival, which will be held at the Joburg Theatre in Braamfontein, Joburg on 4 May.

Registrations to be part of the festival have been running since 2 December 2024 and will close on Friday, 24 January.

Ntshuxeko Manganye, the deputy director for arts, said registration is open for any genre.

“The city is proud to present yet another edition of the Joburg Choral Festival, an incredible platform for the promotion of choral and classical music. We’ve created a unique platform that gives expression to diverse musical talents that contribute immensely to the socio-economic objectives of the city and the country. We encourage as many as artists and audiences as possible to participate in this year’s festival

“From classical compositions to rousing gospel and African traditional melodies, every performance is a tribute to the power of collective voices. We’re looking for as many choirs as possible in and around Joburg. There are great prizes to be won,” she said.

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The festival has been running for seven years, and it’s been growing every year.

“The inaugural Joburg choral programme was first staged at the Orlando Communal Hall on 30 June 2018 and although it enjoyed a resounding success since its inception, the festival was called off during the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020. This programme was initially a free event until 2020/21 where a charge of R50 per ticket was introduced.

“To date, the festival has attracted an exciting array of choirs including the UJ, Soweto campus, Gauteng Choristers, Sound of the Nation, Freedom Park Secondary School, Ubuntu Choral and Harmonious Chorus to mention a few,” she said.

Manganye also revealed that some singers who’ve been part of the festival have made it big.

“Exceptional soloists like Timothy Sehau, Delisile Kubheka, Mndzebele Thulisile, Nkosingiphile Lubisi, Bongani Kubheka, Khayakazi Madlala and Asisipho Petu, have also been a part of the previous choral programs. All songs were performed with Mzansi Orchestra as an accompaniment,” she said.