Central SA
Drakensberg Boys Choir School launch national tour in Bloemfontein─── ZENANDE MPAME 12:07 Thu, 06 Mar 2025
Bloemfontein can expect an exciting evening of choral music as the Drakensberg Boys Choir School kickstarts its national tour at the Geloofsentrum in Universitas on Sunday.
The evening in Bloemfontein comprises two parts; the first one is a more traditional classical performance with more traditional pieces, and the second part is an Afro-pop half, a celebration of South African music.
The tour will start on Sunday and run through Monday, 17 March, and will include various cities, starting in Bloemfontein, then heading to Graaff-Reinet, Plettenberg Bay, Still Bay, Stellenbosch, Cape Town, and lastly, Pennington.
“Our mission remains to unite people through the transformative power of music, whether we perform in small towns or big cities, that’s what we do,” said Drakensberg Boys Choir School principal Hendrik Bekker.
“I always say that we are in the business of bringing joy. And wherever we perform, we want to bring joy to people. Our programme stays the same during the tour but will sometimes vary depending on the area and maybe a song which needs to be replaced.”
One of our boys is from Bloemfontein, so it is always good to perform in front of audiences where a boy is from; it almost feels like a home advantage, he said.
The national tour was initiated by the choir’s invitation to perform at the Mzansi choir conductor’s convention in Cape Town, which they are en route to.
“Transporting 44 boys is quite a logistic operation; we need to find accommodation, and often, the boys are hosted by host families. We also need to make sure we plan our routes carefully and ensure that there are a lot of food and bathroom breaks.”
“The boys will be doing an excerpt from John Rutter’s Magnificat, a few Afrikaans songs, and they will also perform music by Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, Johnny Clegg, and Lebo M.”
Pieter Stegen (14) has been in the choir for five years, and he said he has performed in Bloemfontein before. “It was an incredible experience because the whole town is very music-centred, and comparing it to international tours that we’ve done is very difficult as with international tours, you would experience other countries’ cultures.”
