Ndlovu Youth Choir Mesmerizes a Full House at Carnegie Hall
The Ndlovu Youth Choir received several standing ovations during their sold-out performance at New York City’s Carnegie Hall on Sunday night.
The multi award-winning group shot to worldwide fame after appearing on Season 14 of America’s Got Talent and was the first choir in the history of AGT and sister series Britain’s Got Talent to reach the finals.
The 90-minute concert was part of the Spotlight on the Music of South Africa series to celebrate 30 Years of Democracy in partnership with the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation.
Conductor Ralf Schmitt said they have been travelling non-stop during their world tour.
“We’ve been all over the globe and just back from Europe,” he told TimesLIVE.
“We have 36 members who rotate performances, with 12 here in America.
“We did seven sold-out shows in Holland and shows in West Palm Beach, Florida, at Howard University and in Princeton.
“Every day we’ve been getting up at 5am and getting to bed at 11pm and doing rehearsals and performances – and then up super early and moving again.”
“We did a concert in New York’s Bryant Park last year, but this is our first time at Carnegie Hall. It’s a ‘pinch yourself’ moment, a huge honour because the programme directors could have brought on anyone, but they chose us.
“As far as looking after the group, music’s the easy part. It’s the group dynamics and keeping the team in a happy space, that’s the challenge. I do the musical arrangements – and much like sport has a game plan, I’m here to bring out the best of each individual.
“Each member of the choir takes ownership of their performance and they’re disciplined, which has taken us years to get to. It’s an ethos that their discipline has come from within the group.”
All the choir members are from Elandsdoorn in the Moutse district of Limpopo. “Everyone’s from one village. No-one comes from any musical training. They don’t come from any art schools or conservatories, it’s just the raw talent in that one village,” Schmitt said.
“Visually, we have colourful, unique costumes – the tops were originally designed by Sun Goddess and the local gogos did the skirts. For the beads, there’s an elderly lady in the community there called Gogo Sara, and she does all the beadwork, which is exquisite. When the deadline gets a bit tight she brings in a few extra gogos and she calls them the ‘Gucci gogos’.”
The choir signed a record deal with AGT judge Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment and Sony, where they released their debut album Africa, followed by Rise and third studio album Grateful.
“America’s Got Talent was the most beautiful platform and I’ll always be grateful for it.
“It’s the fifth and final year of the [recording] contract and we would like to be independent. In a talent show, you only need to sing two minutes of one song. Now, you’ve got to do 90 minutes at Carnegie Hall, where people have paid a lot of money to come and see you and you’ve got to present yourselves at a global standard. I would like people to look at the members as artists in their own right.
“It’s thinking about our roots, when we started as an after-school project from the Ndlovu Care Group. The choir was a healing programme for children to learn music, to give a level of tuition in rural areas you can only get in more wealthy areas with funding.”
Ndlovu Youth Choir member Siyabonga Mahlangu joined the choir 10 years ago. “I grew up singing in church and I joined the choir when I was about 13. I’m so excited and grateful to be performing at Carnegie Hall, which is one of the most famous concert halls in the world.”
Nonhlanhla Somo, who received a standing ovation after her emotional performance of Nessun Dorma, said she listens to music before going on stage to help set the mood. “Normally, I listen to JP Cooper. I love that song, The Only Reason – then I usually just hum and rhyme around that song to warm up my voice.”
Comedian Karmen Naidoo, who attended the concert, first discovered the choir through their viral clips on social media. “My daughter, who’s 15 months, loves watching their YouTube channel and we play a lot of their songs. I’m happy to see young people from South Africa and listen to their journey, from a rural village to Carnegie Hall. It’s a beautiful achievement that makes me feel proud to be South African.”
Schmitt said: “Never underestimate the potential of young people and particularly those in rural communities. Just because you’ve not had the opportunities other people have had, it doesn’t mean you can’t become the best version of yourself – and hopefully that’s what this crowd represents and you’re going to be with them forever.”
The Spotlight on the Music of South Africa series at Carnegie Hall continues with The Met Orchestra Chamber Ensemble on Monday night followed by Zolani Mahola and Jesse Clegg on Tuesday. Earlier performances included Abel Selaocoe and the Bantu Ensemble, as well as jazz artist Nduduzo Makhathini.
