Full house and standing ovations

The queue of choral music lovers seemed to have no end – this morning’s Champions Competition in the Mixed Choirs category at the Musaion at the University of Pretoria turned out to be a real crowd puller. Fans of Mixed Choirs lined up for a free seat even after the performances had started. This enthusiasm of the visitors became audible right at the beginning: Already the first choir, the well-known University of Johannesburg Choir with Renette Bouwer from South Africa, was welcomed with thundering applause.

After their touching performance the singers received standing ovations and the expectant listeners awaited the second ensemble of the competition, the Diocesan Schools Choral Society with Felix Tsi Shing Shuen from HongKong, China. This choir, who gained gold at every INTERKULTUR competition they participated in so far, surprised the cheering audience with “Double, Double Toil and Trouble” by the Finnish composer Jaakko Mäntyjärvi.

After South Africa and China the choral experience made its way to South America: Coral Cantus Firmus from Brazil under Isabela Sekeff had already excited the audience with a powerful performance at the World Choir Village, so they were likewise well-received for their vigorous pieces of music. They, too, were rewarded with standing ovations like their predecessors.

The Akustika Chamber Singers with Christo Burger concluded this first part of the Mixed Choir competition and raised the spirits of the present choral music lovers for a last time and swept them off their feet. This group performs in five different categories – more than a choir had ever before at a World Choir Games – so their groupies have four more chances to listen to their choral idols. The visitors’ opinion was unanimous: ”Great choirs!” “I’d love to see more!” “What a sound!” was to be heard more than once.

Got curious? You still have a chance to watch this high-class category: It will be continued at 19:00h at the Musaion at the University of Pretoria Campus with choirs from South Africa, China and Zimbabwe. Check out the current competition program here.