The event brought together some of the city’s young vocalists for a captivating night of performances, highlighting a vibrant choral tradition that has been rekindled after a long absence. The festival featured a performance from the esteemed UFS Bloemfontein Campus Choir alongside five talented school choirs.

The air was filled with anticipation as choristers from St Andrew’s Chapel Choir, St Michael’s Chapel Choir, Sekondêre Meisieskool Oranje, and the Eunice Vitae Cantamus Choir took to the stage, each adding their unique sound to a truly memorable evening. The diverse range of songs from all the choirs showcased the depth of musical talent in the region.

St Andrew’s Chapel Choir singing at the festival. Photo: Refilwe Bekane

Werner Stander, the conductor of the UFS Bloemfontein Choir, was visibly overjoyed by the success of the festival. “This hasn’t been done in a long time in Bloemfontein,” said Stander.

He praised the quality of the performances, describing the festival as spectacular. Stander also shared a heartfelt hope that the event would inspire parents and families in the audience to encourage their children to pursue their passion for singing and join a choir.

Looking to the future, Stander expressed his strong desire to build on the evening’s success. He is committed to fostering greater collaboration among local choirs and hopes to establish the festival as an annual tradition. 

“We would love to collaborate even more; we would invite the school choir members, those who are in matric, to come over to our choir,” he said.

The enthusiastic and cheerful crowd reflected the success of the night. Matlola Bopape, the chairperson of the UFS Choir, perfectly captured the mood. 

“The mood was vibrating, you could feel the choristers became very excited for this,” said Bopape, highlighting the immense energy of the young performers.

He also acknowledged the significant effort required to orchestrate such a festival, a testament to the hard work put in by all involved. 

The evening concluded with a cheerful and appreciative audience, leaving all performers and organisers with a clear sense of accomplishment.

OFM News/Refilwe Bekane